


Penpal

by yeolie



Category: ARMY - Fandom, 방탄소년단 | Bangtan Boys | BTS
Genre: Angst, F/M, Fanfiction, Fluff, bangtan - Freeform, bts - Freeform, kpop, penpal
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-02-16
Updated: 2016-05-21
Packaged: 2018-05-21 00:38:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 23,782
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6031828
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yeolie/pseuds/yeolie
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>He knew anyone who was anyone. So why was his name on a penpal list?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

“Come on Y/N, just try it?”, your mother asked you eagerly. “Who knows, you might even find a good friend.”

You sat at the kitchen table eating a bowl of cereal, it was just past 8 in the morning and you were about to head out to uni. “No thank you, I think I can get by without telling a complete stranger about my very exciting life,” you reply sarcastically, without looking up from your bowl of sugared cereal.

You were currently in your third year of uni and since you and your closest friends had all gone your separate ways after high school, you hadn’t made any new friends that you had become close to. You still kept updating your old friends with all that was going on in your life, but you just didn’t have the energy to start any new friendships. And just like any other worried mother, yours being no different, she went out of her way to try to get you to become more sociable.

Your mother sighed, “Alright, fine. I’ve gotta get to work. I’m leaving the list here,” she said while placing the document on the kitchen countertop. “Just look it over, please,” she pleaded, and with that she grabbed her car keys and was out the door.

You gulped down the last of your milk from your bowl of cereal and cleaned up your dishes. Grabbing your backpack and slinging it over your shoulder, you passed through the kitchen, hesitating when you passed by the kitchen counter where your mom had left the sheet with the list of names. You sighed and rolled your eyes, thinking you might as well give it a quick glance over, just to get your mother off your back.

—————

A couple nights later, you were sitting on your bed with your laptop placed in front of you while you worked on completing an assignment that was due at the end of the week. Your mom had left you a note that morning saying that she would be working late tonight so you should go ahead and have dinner without her. When your mom worked late you had the habit of turning out all the lights in the rest of the house and cozying up in your room. You were finishing typing up a sentence into your computer when your phone vibrated.

It was a message from your mother asking if you had had dinner and then she went on to ask if you had looked over the list. Damn, she’s really not going to let this go huh?, you thought.

Quickly sending her a reply you tossed your phone aside on your bed and looked around your room. You spotted the document sitting on your dresser, from across the room. Too lazy to get up, you stretched across your bed trying to grab the list. After almost falling off your bed, you finally caught hold of the stupid document. You honestly wished you had ditched it that morning a couple days ago.

Pushing your irritated thoughts aside, you read over the list of names written on the list. Next to each name was the country in which the individual lived, their age, and a sentence or two about the person.

You read through each name and bio that was provided, none of them sounding interesting. Even though there were people from all over the world on the list, some older than you, some younger, not a single name stood out.

That is, until you got to the last one on the list.

The last name printed in plain black letters was, ‘Jung Hoseok’. And his bio was stated in 2 simple words - ‘Hiphop Artist’.

~


	2. Chapter 2

Jung Hoseok.

You repeated the name to yourself over and over. What was a hiphop artist doing on a penpal list? Why would he feel the need to talk to a stranger? You had too many unanswered questions so you decided to do a quick Google search on him. Typing his name quickly in to the search bar you weren’t surprised when a million different links to blogs and websites and photos appeared. You clicked through a couple of photos, admitting to yourself that he was easy on the eyes, but despite his appearance you didn’t know anything about him. You spent a little more time looking through photos of the artist, learning his place in a k-idol group, among 6 other members. Maybe if you hadn’t had your nose stuck in textbooks for the past 3 years, you would’ve heard of this group by now, they seemed to be gaining popularity at a ridiculous pace.

You closed the tab and sighed. You admitted, he did intrigue you - this could be interesting, you thought. Without thinking further, you pulled up the penpal website where you had to register an email and accept the terms and conditions before you could reach out and talk to any individual that was on the list.

Taking the time to sign yourself up you kept wondering whether this was a good idea. Although you wouldn’t be affected if this didn’t work out, you wondered if it actually might result in something worthwhile. But you also feared that it could put you in harms way. He might be a celebrity, but he was still a stranger to you. After much back and forth in your head, you decided to go for it. What’s the worst that could happen, anyways.

———————————

After signing up you picked his name from the list and his email address popped up. You copied it into a new email and began to write. After introducing yourself, you wrote some basic facts. You kept them basic, nothing too personal - after all, this was the first email, who knew if he was going to read it anyways.

Listing some more facts about yourself, you decided on ending the email with a simple signature of your name and read it once over before hitting send.

There, you thought. With a sigh of relief, you didn’t have to worry about your mother’s pestering anymore. You did what she asked - now whether he replied or not had nothing to do with you.

Two weeks passed by and your junk emails seemed to pile up but nothing from Hoseok. You were anxious about it at first, but soon the thought slipped your mind. Well it was worth a shot, you thought.

3 nights later, you were sprawled on your couch exhausted from the week. You were scrolling aimlessly through your phone when you saw a new message pop up in your inbox. Thinking it was another junk email you were about to delete it when you noticed his name in the tag line. Hoseok.

You were surprised he even replied. Here you thought it was over before it started. As you read the email you took mental notes of what you should reply back with - or whether you should reply at all. Hoseok had apologized for returning a reply so late but his schedule was busy so he didn’t get the time to actually sit down and write something thoughtful.

He filled the email with basic facts about himself just as you had done with yours, but you felt embarrassed over the fact that you knew over half of the things he listed anyways - the internet was invented for a reason was it not? After reading his reply you sat staring at the wall wondering whether to carry on with this penpal scene - it really wasn’t your thing. So you did what you knew best - make the stupid decision and write back.

———————————

One year later.

It had been exactly 12 months since you started talking to Hoseok and you were surprised it had come this far. After a couple weeks of your initial emails you had told your mom about your newly acquired penpal and she approved - only for the reason that you were being social again, alongside being a world-class couch potato.

Hoseok and you had kept up a steady feed of emails back and forth, with him telling you about his latest music releases and the places he was visiting and you telling him about your regularly ordinary life. You insisted he tell you about himself more because your routine life was nothing of specialty.

You hated to admit it to yourself, but you were happy with how things worked out - Hoseok seemed like a decent person, he told good stories and he was a good friend to you when you needed him. For someone like you, the friendship you and Hoseok had built was simple, untethered, and safe. You were in your comfort zone, harboured in the docks. But that wasn’t how life worked - not for anyone, that included you.

It was a Saturday morning when you had gotten his latest email. This one, however, was different from the rest in 2 ways. One, it had a plane ticket attached, and two, the only accompanying line written to it was, ’see you soon.’

Hoseok had just untied the ropes that held you to the shore and was suddenly pulling you out to sea.

~


	3. Chapter 3

2 weeks later and after reading the same three words ‘see you soon’ over and over, you had finally told your mom about the plane ticket Hoseok had sent for you. She was hesitant at first but her decision changed when you started listing reasons why you shouldn’t go. You had honestly thought to yourself that your mom would be against taking a trip to see someone you knew barely who lived a very tiring plane ride away. 

She had made up her mind, insisting that this trip to meet your penpal would be good for you and blah blah, but all you could think was what if it turned out to be a disaster? 

You hadn’t replied to Hoseok’s latest email since he sent the plane ticket and you soon received a new email asking if you were coming and when. You stared at the computer screen; maybe you could fake an illness and get out of this whole mess right here and now, you thought. You paced around your room, contemplating on other potential excuses. 

Your thoughts drifted as you paced back and forth that you didn’t hear when your mother poked her head in to your room, raised an eyebrow and said, “Stop pacing, I can hear you downstairs.” 

“Sorry,” you admitted, sheepishly.

“I left dinner on the counter for you downstairs, if you’re hungry - oh, and pack your suitcase, I booked your flight for Saturday night.” your mother said evenly, and she shut your door, heading back downstairs.

You stood in spot, mouth open - was your antisocial behaviour really that bad? Didn’t matter what anyone else thought, your mother apparently held that opinion and you realized that in 48 hours you would be on a plane, heading who-knows-where. 

———————–

You tried not to hold any expectations but you couldn’t help yourself - you spent the entire plane ride thinking what this meeting with your penpal would be like, and by time the plane landed your nerves were on edge.

After getting through all the necessary airport checkpoints, you walked through the arrivals gate and scanned the crowd before your eyes landed on the individual whom you were searching for.

Hoseok looked exactly how he had in the pictures you saw of him online. Skinny jeans - ripped at the knees, a navy t-shirt hugging his torso with a button down worn over top, and black sunglasses perched on the bridge of his nose. 

You made your way over to him, bowing in respect before you formally introduced yourself to him for the first time, his eyes took you in and his face revealed an even smile. 

“You’re prettier than I thought you would be,” were the first words to come out of his mouth after your introduction.

You began to feel the heat rise into your cheeks at his sudden compliment - well, he sure wasn’t shy, you had to give him that. You thanked him politely as he took a hold of your bags, and started towards the parking garage.

“I’m glad you’re here, it’s been a while since I’ve had a penpal so hopefully I can show you around to some cool places while you’re here,” he turned back to shoot you another smile, as you followed in his footsteps.

‘Been a while since he had a penpal’, his words started a circle of questions in your head. Had he done this before?

“Hoseok, I could’ve made it to a hotel on my own, you know?”, you insisted, as he put your bags into the trunk of the vehicle he had driven to the airport.

“Why would you need a hotel?”, he asked shutting the trunk.

“Well, I am here for a couple weeks, I can’t sleep on the park bench,” you tried to keep your words light.

He chuckled, “I know, but I’m not planning on dropping you off at a hotel - you’re going to stay with us.”

“Us?”, you inquired as you got into the passenger seat of his car.

“Yeah,” he glanced over at you before starting the car, “Me and the rest of the boys.”

You felt frozen in your place in the passenger seat, as your brain began to instinctively make a list of all the possible disasters that were about to unfold.

Hoseok drove the car through the garage with ease, finally emerging out into the sunlight. When his car had made an exit, you heard a rapid amount of clicks coming from all around you. You turned your head to look out the window - photographers lined the side walks that lead to the garage and as they all huddled together, you noticed their cameras were all pointed in one direction - at you. 

————————–

“I’m back!”, Hoseok stepped in past the front foyer, further into the home, as he tossed the car keys into a bowl that was placed on a table near the door. 

You slung your bag over your shoulder as you stepped further into the home where Hoseok and the other members resided.

The drive from the airport his home wasn’t very long, but the sun had gone down and darkness had enveloped everything in sight by the time you had walked through his door, pulling your suitcase behind you.

“I don’t know if anyone’s home right now, they’ve probably gone out for the night,” Hoseok said to you as he further entered the home, switching on some lights. 

“Oh… that’s okay,” you weren’t sure what else to say. It was better not to ask many questions.

Suddenly, you heard a voice calling from upstairs, “Is she here?”, it called down. A few seconds later a face appeared in the kitchen, and you matched the voice to the individual standing across the room from you.

“Is this the penpal you were talking about,” the orange-haired boy asked Hoseok who had placed himself on the armrest of a chair. 

Hoseok nodded in response to the other male and he walked up to you, a smile decorating his face. “Hi, I’m Jimin,” his eyes gleamed, and you wondered if he was always like this or whether this was some special occasion.

You returned his introduction with your own, folding your hands behind your back, feeling a little shy. 

Hoseok’s voice cut in just before Jimin got another chance to say something, “Where are the others?”, he asked.

Jimin’s eyes stayed fixed on your face as he replied, “They’re at NOVA… I thought Namjoon told you before you left for the airport.”

“He probably did - and I probably wasn’t listening,” Hoseok chuckled lowly and got up from his spot as he pulled out his phone which was constantly vibrating.

Jimin looked between Hoseok and you, “Aren’t you going to show Y/N around? You’re being rude, Hoseok.”

Hoseok looked up from his phone, looking a little irritated, “Right, sorry. Y/N come on, I’ll show you the guest bedroom.” He led you up the stairs, with you following at a safe distance behind him. When he reached the top, he walked down the hall before opening up the 4th door on the left to reveal a neatly done up room. 

His phone vibrated again, and he looked down before furrowing his eyebrows together. You took notice of his expression and asked, “Is everything okay?”

His attention diverted back to you, “Yeah, it’s fine… listen, Jin needs my help for some stuff at NOVA, is it alright if we can catch up tomorrow, I promise I won’t ditch you,” he attempted, slipping his phone back into his pocket.

You nodded at the offer, “Sure - I’ll see you tomorrow then,” you tried to muster up a decent smile. You weren’t so thrilled at being left alone on your first night in a strange new city and home but you weren’t going to wine, especially in front of Hoseok.

“Okay, great. If you need anything, just ask Jimin, I’m pretty sure he’s going to be home for the night,” Hoseok said, then pulled you in for a quick hug. “Sleep well, Y/N.” 

You were a little fuddled by his embrace, but you quickly recomposed yourself. You wanted to ask what NOVA was but Hoseok was already halfway down the stairs. You lifted and then dropped your shoulders in a sigh before walking into the bedroom and shutting the door.

———————–

A little while later you heard a knock at your door. You set your laptop aside and went to see who it was. You opened the door to reveal Jimin standing on the other side, a pair of keys dangling from his fingertips at his side.

“I’m going out to get something to eat, do you want to come?”, he asked amiably. 

You turned to check the time on the clock hung on the wall, it read 12:30am. “It’s just past midnight, is anything even open right now?”, you questioned him.

“Yeah, lots of things,” he smirked. “You just have to know where to look,” he continued. 

You raised an eyebrow at him and he leaned against the door frame, looking just over your shoulder, “So, are you coming or what?” he prodded.

You turned back to look at your laptop sitting on the bed, still open, then he spoke up again, “Come on, you’re not even doing anything important, and I know the best midnight snack place,” his smile grew bigger, reaching his eyes.

Your attention focused back on him, still leaning against your door, but now with arms crossed over his chest. You didn’t know whether you were just really tired, or if he was just as easy on the eyes as Hoseok was. Maybe it was both.

You crossed your arms, imitating his poise, “I’ll go with you, if you answer one question,” your voice was steady but curious.

His gaze remained on your face, unwavering, before he answered, “Sure, shoot.”

Since Hoseok left, the unanswered question had remained floating within your thoughts - maybe this was your chance to figure some stuff out about Hoseok before the next day, 

You took a breath before inquiring, “What is NOVA?” 

Jimin’s eyes lit up and he dropped his gaze showcasing a smirk, “I don’t think you really want to know.”

~


	4. Chapter 4

Jimin turned to head back the way he came, leaving you standing in place.

“Wait, you didn’t answer my question!”, you hurried after him.

“It doesn’t really matter, Y/N”, he said as his legs carried him further away from you.

You sidestepped around him before sticking an arm out in front of him to stop him in his tracks. “If you don’t tell me, I’m not coming with you,” you kept your voice steady.

Jimin eyed you at first, curious at your threat, then he simply shrugged and gently pushed past you. You huffed at his stubbornness. “What’s the big deal anyways?”

Jimin stopped and turned to look at you, “You sure ask a lot of questions,” he shook his head. You walked closer to where he stood in the hallway.

“You can just ask Hoseok about it when you two hang out tomorrow,” he tried.

You were persistent. “I want you to explain it to me,” you crossed your arms once again.

Jimin sighed and turned his body half way around again, “Fine. But you’ll have to get some food in me first because I can’t explain on an empty stomach.”

You gave him a small smile and followed him down the stairs.

———————

Jimin driving was a completely different experience for you than Hoseok driving. Jimin liked having the windows down, the hot summer air flowing throughout the car. He kept one hand low on the steering wheel, as if it was the easiest thing in the world. Hoseok, on the other hand, drove like he needed to get to places as soon as possible. There was a sterness in his driving, like he had important people to meet and things to do.

You kept quiet throughout the car ride. Jimin said he would explain after he had something to eat so you became careful not to prod him anymore, scared he might change his mind. You kept your hands folded in your lap, keeping your gaze fixed out the passenger window, watching the buildings wiz by. You couldn’t tell for sure, but you thought you felt Jimin glancing over at you every couple of moments. You wished you knew what was going on in his head.

It wasn’t long until Jimin pulled up in front of a fast food restaurant and pulled the keys out of the ignition, beckoning you to follow him inside. As you pulled open the door and walked inside you toke note of the emptiness of the restaurant. You rarely went out after midnight, and now being in a different city, standing in an empty restaurant, with someone you had just met was oddly satisfying.

Jimin walked straight over to the cashier to order something and he looked over his shoulder to ask you what you wanted. You quickly glanced at the menu which hung above his head and told him your pick.

As he pulled some bills from his pocket and handed them over to the cashier, you sat down at a table for two, waiting for him. He returned holding a tray of food and a receipt, setting the contents down on the table in front of you, and sliding into the chair opposite you.

You gave him a few moments to eat what he had ordered, still emitting silence.

He swallowed a bite before his eyes drifted up to yours, “So, where were we?”, he asked, taking a sip of his drink. 

“NOVA”, you answered plainly.

“Right. Ok,” he sucked in a breath before he continued. “NOVA, is a nightclub in downtown which is owned by our eldest member, Jin. He opened it a couple years ago, a little while after we debuted.”

“Wait, I thought you were just a k-idol group…”, you were confused.

“We are. Jin has always loved the club scene and after he joined our group, he eventually gained the right contacts and enough capital to open his own place,” Jimin explained, taking another bite of food.

You nodded your head slowly, “Okay, so that explains what NOVA is, but what about Hoseok? Where does he fit in with this?”

Jimin held up a finger, indicating to you to give him a second to finish his food. 

“I guess I should tell you the rest as well, considering I’ve told you this much already,” he lowered his voice.

The more he spoke, the further you found yourself getting pulled in.

“Yoongi, our second oldest member, is the main DJ at NOVA - he usually works on the weekends, and some weeknights. One of his good friends, is a part-time DJ who covers for him during the other nights of the week, when Yoongi is busy in the studio.” Jimin clarified further.

“Taehyung and I used to bartend at NOVA regularly, but I don’t work there anymore, but Tae still works a couple nights during the week.”

“How come you stopped bartending?” you raised an eyebrow.

Jimin shrugged again, “I was getting bored of the repetitive feeling the work gave me, and figured that I wanted to do something better with my time,” he admitted. You naturally nodded at his response.

“Namjoon and Jungkook don’t work at NOVA, but they just like to spend their time there. Namjoon’s current girlfriend, he met at the club. And Jungkook, well, he just likes to follow Namjoon around and he’s a little more newer to the club scene, so he’s still in his enchantment phase.”

You had brought your arms up to rest them on the table, with your hands pulled under your chin, holding your face up as a support as you took in all the information the boy sitting across from you was saying. 

“That leaves… Hoseok,” you acknowledeged.

This time, it was Jimin who had nodded and let out a soft ‘hmm’. He was quiet for a moment before his voice broke through the silence once again. “Hoseok is a special case,” he spoke softly, not meeting your gaze. 

You could see the concern in his eyes, and your curious mindset became plagued with worry as well. What was it about Hoseok that had Jimin fixed in a state of apprehension, you thought.

“Hoseok,” he began, “sort of works at NOVA…”

“What do you mean ‘sort of’?” you questioned.

“A little while after Jin opened the place, it started gaining popularity really quickly, and soon Jin couldn’t handle doing the work all on his own… So he asked Hoseok to help him.” Jimin’s eyes were back on yours now.

“Hoseok has been helping Jin out with a lot of the managerial stuff since then, doing the books, helping him keep up wit the bills, keeping the club in the good graces of the suppliers - basically running the place.”

“Okay…,” you accepted what he had just told you, “so what’s the problem then?”

“A little while ago, Hoseok asked Jin to make him manager of NOVA, considering he was already carrying most of the responsibility of the position, he just didn’t have the title to it. But Jin flat out told him that he would think about it, and he hasn’t given him his final answer yet,” Jimin disclosed.

“But why?” you asked as you brought your hands back down and rested them in your lap, fidgeting with the rings on your fingers, now that they were out of sight.

“In the past year or so, Hoseok has become… I don’t know how to explain it… I guess he’s just different. Call it irresponsible, if you want,” he admitted.

You sucked in a breath, you knew there was a catch to the story. “Irresponsible how?”

Jimin got up to throw the garbage in the tray out before he waved at you to follow him back out to the car. You did as he gestured, climbing back into the passenger seat, turning towards him to hear his answer. 

He sat in the driver’s seat, holding the keys in his hands, turning one of the charms attached to the keychain between his fingers.

“I know you’re his penpal, and that you two have been emailing back and forth for a while now, but what he might have told you about himself, might not be the person he actually is. It might have been who he was in the past, but I’m pretty sure that isn’t who he is now,” Jimin sighed.

“I still don’t understand,” you said.

“Don’t take this personally, but Hoseok has had many penpals in the past couple years, so you’re no different to him than any of the others,” Jimin looked straight ahead, as he said this.

You felt your heart sink a little at his comment. “So what happened to all the other penpals?”

“They left.” his voice echoed throughout the dark car. 

You cocked your head to one side, waiting for him to clarify further.

“Before we debuted, Hoseok had no trouble keeping or making friends, especially in his childhood. But after we introduced ourselves to the world, he began keeping to himself more often because the media began to get to him. However, after Jin opened NOVA and asked him to help with the managing of the club, Hoseok became more and more immersed in the place. Now, other than us 6 members, it seems like NOVA is the only thing he has left.”

“After our debuted, Hoseok began keeping penpals - to him, it felt like it was the only option left to reach out to someone who could possibly understand him,” Jimin said.

“So why did they leave?”

“Because, although keeping friends was important to Hoseok, NOVA became more important to him, and he constantly put it before all the penpal’s he’s kept in the past.” 

A sudden wave of realization hit you, “So he’s flown his penpal’s out to see him, just like he did for me. Right?”

Jimin stared at you in disbelief, hinting a slight embarrassment in his composure. 

“I actually didn’t know about you for a while, I only just found out a little while ago – After the penpal before you left, Hoseok gave up on trying to reach out to other people for a while, and focused solely on work. The other members were sort of relieved, actually. They knew that the whole penpal business was just unnecessary and wasn’t doing any good for Hoseok. But a couple weeks ago, I saw an email notification pop up on his phone and saw it filed under the name of ‘penpal’ which is what caused me to confront Hoseok. He admitted that you had reached out to him first, which is the only reason why he has been keeping in contact with you since then.”

Your began to feel more disheartened at Jimin’s words. “So you’re the only one that knows about me?”

Jimin nodded in reply, “But the others will know soon enough.”

“What do you mean?” you inquired.

“When Hoseok came to pick you up at the airport this morning, were there photographers there when you left?” he asked.

You thought back earlier in the day, remembering the hundreds of flashes going off as you had left the parking garage, sitting next to Hoseok in the car. You averted your eyes and responded, “Yeah.”

“I don’t even have to tell the other members; by tomorrow morning, your picture is going to be spreading online like wildfire - the members will see it eventually,” Jimin let out a chuckle, finding the idea amusing.

You covered your face with your hands, before removing them as another thought entered your mind. 

“Why didn’t you tell Hoseok to leave me be then? If you knew how he treated all the other penpal’s he’s had in the past, why didn’t you tell him to leave me alone beforehand?”, you were frustrated now. 

He looked over at you, “Because I read some of your emails, and your words somehow stuck to me - I know that sounds stupid, and you might think that your emails were nothing out of the ordinary, but that’s what caught my attention.” 

Jimin’s sudden focus on you made you want to shrink back into the seat, hoping to disappear. 

“You just seemed… normal… Well at least from what I read. None of the other penpal’s Hoseok has ever had gave me that feeling, they just seemed locked in their own world, trying to escape, using the emails with Hoseok as an exit, but it failed everytime.”

You didn’t want to hear anymore. You boarded that plane for 2 reasons. One: because your mother had given you no other choice, and Two: because, even though you had tried to deny it, you felt as though this person whom you had been in contact with for over a year, knew about your existence and cared. He cared enough that he wanted to see you. Or so you thought.

Jimin was mumbling something to himself, but instead of focusing on what he was attempting to articulate, your mind stayed steady on the second reason, and how it was most likely untrue. You were disappointed with yourself, letting yourself believe that this could’ve turned out to be something worthwhile.

You knew that it was only your first night here, and you didn’t want to jump to conclusions, since Hoseok had promised you, before he left, that he would make it up to you the next day since he had some work to get done tonight, but the sinking feeling in your gut wasn’t agreeing with your head.

You found your voice, “Where is Hoseok right now?”

Jimin thought for a second before answering, “I’m not sure, he didn’t tell me before he left.”

You pursed your lips, thinking back to what he had told you before leaving. “He told me that Jin needed him… does that mean he’s at NOVA?” you leaned forward slightly, waiting for Jimin’s reply.

“Yeah, probably.” he responded.

“Take me there.”

“What?! Now?!” Jimin’s eyes grew wide.

“Yes. Now.” you stated firmly.

————————

As Jimin drove into downtown, you felt yourself getting more anxious, unsure of what you were going to say to Hoseok when you saw him. 

Jimin pulled up in front of the club and you could hear the beats of the loud music spilling out from the club. 

“Wait in the car, I won’t be long,” you instructed Jimin. 

“No, I’ll come with you,” he urged. 

You had already climbed out of the black car, leaning back into the open window to say, “No, just stay here, please, I will only be a couple minutes.”

Jimin sighed, “Fine, but don’t do anything stupid.”

You scoffed, “No promises,” you stated truthfully, and turned to head inside.

———————-

When you entered, you were hit with the sound of a ridiculous base pumping through the club. There were bodies pressed closely to one another, and the lights were dimmed low, with only neon lights floating throughout the expanse of the area. 

Your eyes searched the place, from the bar to the booths to the dance floor, you couldn’t spot the familiar face you were desperately trying to find. Maybe he wasn’t in the club, but in an office somewhere in the back. He said he had work to do, right?, you thought. 

You were about to give up your search when you spotted the familiar dark brown hair and button down shirt of the boy. Hoseok was standing off to one side of the dance floor, his arm around a woman, who looked close to you in age, both of them holding drinks in their hands. 

Your eyes trailed over him, taking in his “work” and you didn’t notice that you had balled your hands up into fists. It was your first night in this strange city, and you had flown thousands of miles to see the one person who had left you to spend the night alone on the very same day they picked you up. 

This must be a new all time low, the voice inside your head repeated with hostility. 

You were too busy with trying to calm down your thoughts that you didn’t notice when the woman in Hoseok’s embrace leaned in to whisper something in his ear. He turned to her, lifting an eyebrow confused at her comment, so she stretched out her hand pointing a finger in your direction, to clarify what she was trying to say. Hoseok’s eyes followed to what she was pointing at, where they came to land on you. 

You spent half a second locked on his gaze, seeing his eyes widen with surprise and remorse at your appearance at NOVA, before you turned and disappeared back into the crowd.

~


	5. Chapter 5

You held in a breath as you squirmed your way through the crowd of the club, desperately trying to make your way to the door. “Y/N! Y/N!”, you could hear Hoseok’s faint but panicked voice calling out over the music. But you ignored his calls even though you wanted to question him. But right now, you decided to go for your second option - and that was to book it.

As soon as you reached the door you pushed it open and almost tripped your way out, stopping to take a quick breath of fresh air, before running down the steps to where Jimin was still waiting in the car.

You pulled open the car door and climbed in with haste. Jimin look startled at your sudden entrance, searching your face for answers. 

You avoided his gaze, “Drive.” You spoke as firmly as you could muster despite the anger coursing through you. 

“Wait, what happened?!”, he reached out for you.

“Just. Drive.” He realized that nothing good could’ve happened for you to be acting this way. And he also knew that he would have to end up dealing with Hoseok sooner or later. So he put the car in drive and stepped on the accelerator. 

——————

After meeting your eyes Hoseok frantically pushed and shoved people out of the way as he tried to reach you. 

He yelled your name, hoping you would hear it above the bass drumming its way throughout the club. But when you didn’t turn around, he knew he wasn’t going to reach you. Still, he kept moving, not bothering to apologize to the people who sent him angry glares as they were pushed aside. 

When he finally pushed through the club doors he raced down the steps and looked around for you, hoping you were still somewhere near by. He tried to put himself in your head, thinking about which direction you could’ve possibly headed in. He was becoming more and more confused. How had you even gotten to the club? He never once mentioned it to you, he thought, still searching for your familiar physique. 

As his eyes scanned the streets his focus soon landed on a black car speeding away. Before it got too far, Hoseok squinted his eyes and read the license plate and recognized the number. It was Jimin’s car.

Seeing his car moving further into the distance, Hoseok put two and two together and rushed back inside to find Jin. How dare Jimin bring you out to the club at this time. What was he trying to accomplish with you from so early on?. Hoseok knew he had some damage control to do, so he returned to the loud atmosphere, once again, pushing and shoving his way through the crowd. He needed to get to the back where the main office was. 

When he finally reached the office he tripped into the room, struggling to catch both his breath and his balance. 

“Give…me… the keys,” he ordered Jin, who was sitting behind the desk working his way through a pile of papers. 

Hoseok’s surprised and forceful entrance left a curious look on Jin’s face. “Why? What’s wrong?”, he asked automatically.

“Just give me the keys, it’s important. I’ll explain later.” Hoseok held out his hand motioning for Jin to hand over the keys for his car. He had left his own at home and taken a cab to the club since he knew he would be drinking.

“Hoseok, you can’t leave, you promised me you would help me get these bills out of the way - I have to pay them by tomorrow. I can’t afford to miss another deadline.” Jin insisted, his tone rising with disapproval.

“Please, I won’t be long, I promise.” Hoseok pleaded, with his arm still outstretched.

Jin rolled his eyes, “I know just how much your stupid promises mean,” he spoke sarcastically, “When you got here, you said you would only have one drink and then you would come and help me. And now you’re running again; I bet it’s because you broke another damn promise.” 

Jin’s comments caused Hoseok to jeer, “I don’t need your crap right now Jin, I have to deal with something else.” Jin shook his head but dropped his car keys into Hoseok’s hand, which he pulled back and shoved into his jeans. 

“Fine. But I’m not taking anymore of your bullshit assurances. If you’re not here to help me finish the work, I don’t want you around at all.” Jin’s voice was assertive, but cold.

Hoseok recalled how fondly Jin used to speak to him. He was always gentle, teaching Hoseok all the right things from day one. He was like an older brother, keeping him from giving up on himself. Sticking close to him, just enough so he knew that Jin was there, making sure that Hoseok understood that he never had to face any of his problems on his own. But now, Jin’s words gave Hoseok a different feel - as if the cracks on the surface began to be more visible - the small tremor had turned into a noticeable wind. He didn’t understand what had changed in Jin to make him act bitterly towards him. Or maybe it was he himself who had changed.

————————

Jimin drove silently, but not before he had attempted to weed out answers from you. You kept your eyes focused on the road before you, examining the buildings as they passed by.

“He lied, didnt he?”, Jimin asked softly, as if he already knew the truth.

Your eyes didn’t budge from their spot, and you faintly nodded, answering his question. In response, Jimin sighed, leaning his free arm on the window of the car and holding his head in his hand. 

It was well past midnight, the streets were empty, you noticed, but the city lights shone bright even in the midst of the darkness. As Jimin drove along the main street, he took a right turn heading in a new direction and you suddenly became curious as to whether he was taking you back home. You didn’t want to go back to his house, he knew Hoseok would look there first. Your inner coward took a hold of you and you decided that for tonight you didn’t want to have to deal with Hoseok or any of his explanations. 

You were grateful when you spotted a hotel coming up in your direction.

“Stop the car.” Your voice rang out clearly. 

Jimin’s foot hit the break, sending you a worried look your way. “What, why?”

You unbuckled your seatbelt and got out. The door was still open when you turned back towards him, “I’m going to stay here for the night,” you said as you motioned your hand towards the hotel.

Jimin’s eyes rose in concern as he jumped out as well and starting following you down the walkway that led up to the hotel. “Y/N! Just listen to me okay? I know Hoseok screwed up by lying to you, I get that the feeling is shitty, but disappearing for the night isn’t going to help. Hoseok will only get more frustrated.” He huffed.

“I don’t care. At least not right now.” You stated simply, yet truthfully. You had already made up your mind. 

“I’ll be fine, Jimin. I’m sorry your night was uneventful, and I promise to make it up to you before I leave, but I can handle it from here.” You kept walking, almost at the hotel entrance way.

As you reached the front of the hotel, you began to climb the steps when you felt a hand pulling at your arm and turning you around. 

“It’s your first night in this city, and if you think I’m just going to drop you off at some hotel for the night you’re ridiculous,” Jimin’s voice was stern.

“I told you I’ll be fine…”, you began when he interrupted you again.

“No. You won’t be fine. How are you going to pay for the room, huh? And you didn’t even bring anything with you. No change of clothes, or a toothbrush.” He stated, matter-of-factly.

You realized he was right. You didn’t have anything with you, just the clothes on your back and the shoes on your feet, and an extra stick of gum in the pocket of you jeans from the plane ride, which was probably all smushed by now. You sighed, and turned to head in.

You heard Jimin calling you as you kept walking, you weren’t proving to be a very decent friend. As you walked into the lobby, you noticed a well dressed lady standing behind the check-in counter. Who can look that done up at almost 3 in the morning? your thoughts hovered.

“I’d like a room for the night please,” you stated as you reached the front desk.

The middle-aged woman’s eyes travelled up from her notebook to meet yours. 

“For one?”, she asked politely.

You were about to answer when you felt a hand on the small of your back. 

“No, for two, please.” Jimin’s voice was as considerate as hers. 

You shifted your gaze from the receptionist to the boy standing next to you. “I said, I’d be fine. You can go home.” You spoke in a whisper, hoping the woman wouldn’t over hear.

His eyes, turned to you, “And I said I’m not leaving you. Understand?”.

You grasped the fact that Jimin wasn’t going to leave, so you dropped the requests. Although you wanted to be alone for the rest of the night, in the back of your mind you were half glad he decided to stick by your side. At least when you woke up the next morning you wouldn’t have to deal with Hoseok on your own.

As Jimin paid for the room, the woman handed you a room key and sent you a smile with a wink. At first you were confused by her intimate gesture, but you soon realized that she was referring to Jimin, thinking that you were spending the night with you boyfriend. 

You gave her a wary smile in return, trying not to look obviously uncomfortable.

Jimin and you turned to head towards the elevators, both of you quiet as you headed up to the suite. As you stepped out of the elevator and walked along the hallway looking for you room, you faintly heard Jimin’s phone vibrating as he pulled it out of the pocket of his jeans.

Your voice broke the silence, “Is everything okay?”

“Well… let’s see… how do I explain this - If you get one missed called from Hoseok, that’s bad. If you get two missed calls, he’s probably going to yell at you. But if you get more than 3, you’re probably not going to wake up alive the next day.” He said, pulling at his collar, looking anxious. 

You chuckled under your breath, “How many?”

“26.” He stated.

“Well, it’s too late to turn back now,” you said as you slid the card key through the door and heard it click open.

————————

Hoseok had began his search by driving in the same direction he saw Jimin’s car travel. Looking up and down the streets, he examined the face of every passerby he could identify as female, hoping it was you.

Although he knew he should be angry with himself, he couldn’t help but focus his displeasure on Jimin instead. This was the first time in a while that someone had a reached out to him. It was always the other way around. It was always he who started the penpal interactions with others, hoping he could meet someone he would want to hold onto. And now, for the first time, someone had shown interest in him. And all he had done was screw it up.

Hoseok gave up looking through the streets and decided to head back home. Maybe Jimin had just brought you back. He reached the member’s house and parked the car, practically jumping out and running inside. He climbed the stairs two at a time, crossing his fingers that you would be in your room. 

But when he opened the door to find your suitcase still in its place, untouched, and only your laptop sitting on the bed, he knew that Jimin had not brought you home. 

Hoseok huffed in annoyance and headed back downstairs, this time pulling out his phone and dialing Jimin’s number. Straight to voicemail. He kept redialing as he settled into an armchair in the living room, hoping he would pick up. After a handful of tries he opted to send messages to him. Then he dialled you. No answer. It was just past 3am now. Hoseok’s eyes were getting heavy and the alcohol he had consumed a couple hours earlier was starting to give him a headache now. He kept redialling until he drifted off.

———————

Not long after you had gotten there, both you and Jimin had passed out on the bed in the hotel room. Jimin had offered to sleep on the tiny armchair in the corner of the room, but you denied. You didn’t want him to feel tired the next day. Half the night was over, and you already felt bad for putting him through your bullshit once. You figured this was a lame way to make up for it. 

Jimin drifted off quickly, his chest moving up and down in rhythm. With only the small lamp on in the suite, the room was dimly lit, and you had swung your legs off the side of the bed, getting into a sitting position. After an hour of trying to fall asleep, you had no luck. 

Your mind kept wandering back to Hoseok. Seeing him in the club with a group of people whom were all strangers to you made you feel as though you didn’t really know him at all. All those emails the two of you had sent back and forth for so long. Was any of it real?

And that girl, the one he had his arm so effortlessly around, who was she? And why was her presence causing you uneasiness?

You pushed the thoughts into the back of your mind, slowly lifting yourself off the bed, trying not to wake the sleeping boy in your close proximate. You decided to grab a glass of water from the small kitchen in the suite. As you headed back with your drink in had, you noticed that the only peaceful thing in the room was Jimin. 

His phone was placed on the nightstand and you pressed a button to turn it on, seeing a list of messages pop up.

“Where the hell are you?????”

“Jimin answer meee!!!”

“YOU BETTER BRING HER HOME RIGHT NOW I SWEAR IF YOU DO ANYTHING STUPID”

“JIMIN ANSWER YOUR DAMN PHONE”

“YOU’RE SO DEAD”  
There were plenty more but you refrained from reading on. From where you were standing you were more worried about what Hoseok would do to Jimin instead of you. Jimin was younger, and telling by the night’s events that had played out in front of you, he seemed more protective over those he cared for. 

Did that mean he cared about you? No. No. He just met you. He was probably just being genuine. You couldn’t be sure anyways, you just assumed, letting your thoughts drift.

You walked over to stand closer to him, sleeping on the bed. His body was curled in to himself, with one hand under the pillow, and the other draped over his torso. 

You cocked your head to one side observing him, wishing you were in his place. Sleep had met him well, and here you were, wide awake and hoping that you could fall unconscious as well.

As your eyes loomed over him, the receptionist lady’s implication to the two of you came back into mind. You hadn’t put much thought into it before, but Jimin really was easy on the eyes. You had been so consumed in Hoseok that you didn’t give an ounce of amiable attention to this boy. 

His fringe had covered his eyes, and you found yourself reaching down, without thinking and pushing his hair aside. You noticed he shifted under your touch, and you held your breath as you drew back your hand hesitantly, hoping you hadn’t woken him. 

His sudden movement returned to a stand still state and you finally let your breath go, thankful his stirring hadn’t brought him into consciousness. 

You swallowed the last of the water before returning the glass to its spot in the tiny kitchen, and found your spot again on the bed. The sun would be up in an hour or two, and you still weren’t ready to face him. 

———————

You walked into the house which you had avoided the night before. Feeling sleep deprived, you shuffled into the foyer, Jimin following closely behind, noticing the silence meeting your ears from the home before you. You wondered if Hoseok was even home. 

Your assumption was denied when you walked in further and saw a sleeping body adorned in the arm chair close to the fireplace. Hoseok. He was still out of it, and as your eyes trailed over his unconscious body, you found yourself losing the anger you had held in all night, that you had planned to project onto him. 

He looked exhausted. The kind of tired that was visible to the naked eye. The fatigue clung to his body like a cloak and you felt a pang of guilt course through you for putting him through the worry.

He looked as if he had spent a reasonable amount of time searching for you, and ended up crashing here when he had gotten no where in his pursuit. You recalled how you hated the way you looked when you were tired, but tired looked good on Hoseok. His body didn’t exert shame for his weary state. It looked like he could go on forever.

You sauntered over to him, and faltered before laying a hand on his upper arm, lightly shaking him. 

“Hoseok… hey, get up,” you nudged him softly.

He responded to your contact by reaching out and grabbing a hold of your arm. Your eyes travelled up to meet his, as he remained fixed on your face. His fingers tightened around your wrist, before his voice filled your ears, “Where. Have. You. Been?”

~


	6. Chapter 6

You had parted your lips, about to answer Hoseok’s question. Hoseok’s eyes remained fixed on you, his eyebrows pulled together revealing discontent. But before you could get a word out Jimin’s voice filled the room.

“I’m going to shower, just come let me know when you want to go,” he said to you calmly.

“No! No one’s leaving until I get some answers!”, Hoseok’s patience was dropping by the second.

He turned to the other member standing close to the entranceway, “And you,” he looked past you, pointing a finger at Jimin, “I need to have a word with you about answering your damn phone.” He huffed.

You turned your attention to look back at Jimin, completely ignoring Hoseok, “Take your time, I’ll come get you when I’m ready.”

Jimin nodded at your response and headed up the stairs. Hoseok had risen out of the arm chair, clearly upset by your behaviour, still gripping onto your wrist firmly.

You turned back to your penpal, who was now glaring at you, “Why did you let him go, huh?! Do you know how worried I’ve been?! Neither of you were answering your phone and I didn’t know where he had taken you. Why are you so quiet, answer me!”

You looked at Hoseok intently, his chest was heaving from all that he had just said. “You shouldn’t be the one asking the questions,” you stated, keeping your voice low.

At your comment Hoseok’s face sunk, and he released his hold on you.

“I stayed the night at a hotel. I asked Jimin to just drop me off and then go home, but he didn’t want to leave me on my own, so he stayed.” You answered his initial question.

“I -”, Hoseok began when you interrupted him.

“Come on,” you said as you took his left hand in yours, guiding him behind you as you led the way up the stairs of the members home.

“Wait, Y/N, where are we going?” He asked, tugging on his hand.

The two of you were midway in the staircase when you stopped and looked back at him, standing one step below you. “Hoseok, will you please stop with the questions, just come with me.”

He was about to let out another rebuttal but he noticed the pleading in your voice and stayed quiet, following you the rest of the way up the steps.

Hoseok only knew you through your emails. He knew all the facts but he still felt like there was a part of you that he hadn’t seen yet. Now, as you walked in front of him, he noticed what he hadn’t the day before. The way you carried yourself, your hair, the way it had been pulled back into a low ponytail and was sitting just below your shoulder, tousled. The way your clothes hugged your body, wrinkled from the night before. The way you shuffled your feet across the floor as you walked. He noticed your hand curved around his own, the way your fingers gently pressed the skin on the back side.

He was becoming aware of all these things for the first time about you, despite the sleepiness that still loomed in his body.

You reached Hoseok’s room, which was the last one in the hallway and pushed the door open, leading him in. You could tell he was still impatient, he probably had more questions, and you figured that you would answer whatever he asked - if you left him wondering, it might only cause more misunderstandings.

You approached his bed, pulling the duvet back and moving aside for him. “Get in,” you instructed.

He raised his eyebrow, “What?”, he asked, looking confused.

“Get in your bed, Hoseok.” You motioned to him with your hands.

His confusion didn’t disappear but he complied - first sitting on the edge of the bed, then pulling his legs up and under the covers. Once he had laid down, you pulled the duvet over him.

“Get some rest okay, Hoseok”, you told him softly and then turned your body towards the door.

He caught your hand and immediately shot up, “Wait! You brought me to my room to tell me to sleep?! And now you’re just going to leave again?” He retorted.

You sighed, and placed both your hands on his shoulders, pushing him back down into the bed, “You’re still half asleep, Hoseok - just get some rest. I’m just going out with Jimin for a little while, he just wants to show me around town. I’ll be back soon, and then we can do something, just like you promised.”

“What’s his deal anyways?”, Hoseok crossed his arms over his chest over top the covers.

“He’s just being a good friend and -”, you started.

“Oh, don’t give me any of that shit. He’s always messed with my penpal’s in the past, and he’s doing the same thing with you!” He spat.

Hoseok’s confession caused your mind to swirl - was it true?

Your thoughts kept you silent, long enough for Hoseok to notice that his words had thrown you off. He reached out to you, “Last night… Uh, Jimin didn’t… He didn’t try anything with you, did he?” His voice was hesitant.

Your eyes scanned the boy’s face intently before replying, “No.”

“Since I landed in this city, Jimin’s been more of a friend to me, than you,” you spoke, looking at him directly.

You pushed yourself off the edge of the bed, standing up. You hadn’t gotten much sleep the night before either - maybe it was the jet lag and maybe it was because of Hoseok. You settled with the conclusion of your tired state to exist due to both of those reasons.

As you moved further from his beside towards the door, your back still turned in his direction, he finally said what you were waiting to hear.

“I’m sorry,” his voice was low, but there was a sense of guilt masked underneath.

You turned halfway back around to face him, standing in the midst of his room. “You don’t have to apologize.”

His gaze averted from yours, “I don’t want you to think that I lied to you and left you alone last night. I really was going to the club to help Jin with some work, I just wanted to have a drink or two first.”

You didn’t know how to respond, so you simply shrugged. “Please, just let me know next time. Oh and about the club… How come you never told me about it in your emails, if it’s such a big part of you life?”

“I just…,” he sighed, “I don’t know.” Hoseok replied lamely. He knew why he hadn’t told you. He didn’t want you to walk away, like the others. Anyone who knew Hoseok came to him first whenever they needed something to get done or advice. He was known to get his way, especially in the club. He used his words to his advantage. But here he was, giving you, out of all people, a vague response. He was setting himself up for his own misfortune.

“Maybe when I’m back, you can tell me about it,” you offered.

He nodded solemnly. He still didn’t like the idea of you going out with Jimin, especially before him.

—————————

Once you left Hoseok’s room you headed back from the way in which you came. You didn’t know which room belonged to Jimin so you slowly trailed along the hall, peaking glances into the open bedrooms, hoping to spot Jimin in one.

When you reach the 4th one down from Hoseok’s you spotted his figure standing in front of a mirror, pulling a shirt over his head. You hesitated before knocking on his door, trying to keep your eyes from looming over his body and on his face.

“You want to head out now?”. The sound of your voice surprised him and he turned to face you, as he tugged the front ends of his shirt down.

“Yeah, I’ll meet you outside.”

You had slipped your shoes back on, making sure to grab some extra cash on your way out, from your room, and stood by the passenger door to Jimin’s car.

When he finally emerged from the home, he raised an eyebrow at you, “We’re not driving,” he stated and then motioned for you to follow him.

“What? So we’re going to walk into the city?”, you silently cursed at Jimin. This was no time for physical exercise, and you hoped wherever he was leading you wasn’t far.

“Yeah, it’s not a far walk, actually.”

As the two of you made your way into downtown, you noticed the scenery for the first time. The feeling was very open, and calm, unlike most cities, where everything seemed to get closer and more congested the further you ventured in to it.

The two of you had been walking for about 20 minutes now, and you had taken note of how close Jimin had been walking next to you. Unlike yourself, he looked rested, a change of clothes and a pair of black framed sunglasses perched on his nose, his hair pulled back under a snapback. He seemed more awake, whereas you had only splashed water on your face that morning after you had woken, and switched your day old t-shirt for a fresh one from your suitcase on your way out.

Your memory from the previous night’s events came rushing back to you when you noticed that the streets began to look more familiar with each step you took. You took notice of the restaurant where you and Jimin had eatenen and then a little further in the distance you spotted the logo of NOVA sticking out. The club looked so calm during the day, as compared to how you had seen it last night, with people spilling out and music blaring, audible from down the street.

The streets began to get more and more busier as you entered the downtown core of the city. A stoplight was approaching and Jimin indicated that you had to cross it and get to the other side.

Feeling a little flustered at the oncoming traffic, and the amount of pedestrians crowding around the traffic stop light, you shuffled from one foot to the other, carefully looking on both sides of the street, checking if the cars were slowing down.

“Come on,” Jimin began to move forward. The light hadn’t changed yet, and it had not been instructed for pedestrians to cross.

“Wait!,” you called towards the boy, “We can’t cross yet!”

Jimin ignored your cries, and grabbed your hand, pulling you through the crowd and across the street. The cars were zooming past you furiously and you tried not to panic while you were being dragged along . While you were busy trying not to get killed, Jimin was laughing in amusement. Playing chicken was not what you had in mind when he mentioned “showing you the city”, that morning.

When you finally reached the other side, you shoved his side. “Are you trying to make me road kill, you idiot!”, you raised your voice, attracting attention from a few passersby.

He only continued to giggle, “Not yet,” he settled for a smirk, pulling you into him. You rolled your eyes at him first, but then leaned your head on his shoulder and let out a laugh as you caught your breath.

As you leaned back, he asked if you were good and when you answered with a smile, he took it as a yes, and continued to lead the way, hand still gripping yours.

———————-

Hoseok lay in his bed, staring at the ceiling. He had attempted to sleep, rolling back and forth, changing positions, but nothing felt comfortable. Although his body still felt drained, he shuffled out of bed, finding his way back downstairs.

As much as he tried to avoid thinking about it, his thoughts drifted back to you, and Jimin. He had already left you alone with the other member for one night, against his will, he didn’t want to give Jimin another chance to have his way with you. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust you when you said that you would come back - he didn’t trust Jimin.

So he did the opposite of what you had instructed. He grabbed his keys and got in his car, which was parked on the side of the road, where he had left it the night before. On his way out, Hoseok noticed Jimin’s car was still parked in the driveway which satisfied him - it meant that the two of you had most likely gone on foot, which meant that you probably hadn’t gotten very far.

He started the engine and started in the direction that led towards the city. It was like déja vu - once again, Hoseok found himself searching the streets for you.

Travelling quickly, he was soon in the downtown core, and when his car halted at a traffic light, he saw the last thing he ever hoped to see.

You were leaning your head on his shoulder as you laughed, fingers wrapped around his hand.

~


	7. Chapter 7

Hoseok had lost himself in a trance. It wasn’t until he heard multiple honks coming from behind him that he realized the traffic light had turned green and he was blocking all the traffic behind him. He snapped back to his awareness and turned his car into a side street. There he let the engine run as he sat in the drivers seat and looked down at his hands. His vision began to blur and he didn’t realize that a few tears spilled from his eyes.

He didn’t want to feel what he did. You were his penpal. Just a penpal. It should make no difference to him whether you hung out with Jimin or not. Who you spent your time with should cause him no worries. Yet, it did.

He swerved the car out of the street heading back home. His initial decision was to confront you - he had no idea what he would say once he did, but he thought that he would just figure that part out once you were standing in front of him. But now he realized what a stupid idea that was. Just like his wary emotions, he left the idea behind, and headed home with a solemn expression painted on his face.

———————–

“Hey!”, Jimin snapped his fingers in front of your face bringing you back into reality after being lost in your thoughts.

“Uh, sorry,” you confessed to the boy sitting across from you in the tiny coffee shop.

“Where did you go?”, he asked, taking a sip of the hot beverage in front of him.

“Nowhere, I’m good.”

He simply shook his head, setting the coffee cup down, back into its place. “You were thinking of Hoseok, weren’t you?”

You felt embarrassed to admit it, but you softly nodded, “Can I ask you something?”

“Sure.”

“When I saw Hoseok at NOVA the other night he was with this girl, red-hair, um…”, you tried to describe the girl before Jimin interrupted.

“Oh, yeah… I know her.” He stated with a displeased expression.

“Is she with Hoseok?”, you didn’t want to be nosy but here you were, breaking your own rules.

“Not really, I mean, they just hang out at the club mostly. Honestly, she only comes to NOVA because she knows Hoseok is going to be there.” Jimin explained.

“Oh, I see.” You looked down at your own coffee sitting in front of you.

“I apologize for prying like this, but did you and Hoseok have some kind of falling out?” You felt your cheeks grow warm.

Jimin’s expression softened as he sighed, “Yeah, did he mention it to you?”

“No - he’s just been acting strange ever since we started hanging out, so I thought maybe the red-head had something to do with it,” you admitted.

Jimin scratched the side of his head, “I guess she has something to do with it.”

You leaned forward slightly, waiting for Jimin to explain further.

“One of the reasons why NOVA is so popular is because Jin owns the place. And it only gained more attention because people found out that the rest of the members and I hung out there a lot. Mona, the red-head, and Hoseok met at NOVA. I guess the short story is that she came after me once Hoseok introduced us - and I wasn’t even that interested in her at first… But I don’t know, I guess we just happened…”, Jimin was trying to avoid your gaze.

“And Hoseok lost it after that - he had already showed his discontent with me after I got involved with a couple of his penpal’s in the past, but he really came at me after the incident with Mona. I knew he had a thing for her and I ruined it.” Jimin’s voice had gotten really low.

“But I saw them together at NOVA the other night, they looked fine,” you were trying to understand.

“He’s lost interest in her. After he saw how quickly Mona left him and came to me, he knew that she wasn’t looking for anything real in him in the first place. He just keeps her around for the fun of it, otherwise he has no intent to pay her any attention.” Your heart felt uneasy after hearing Jimin’s explanation.

“Ever since then, Hoseok has stopped reaching out to people as penpal’s, and he blames me as the reason why they left him, when he knows full well that he arbors some of the blame himself.”

“Yeah, he mentioned that to me…” You spoke softly.

“Did he tell you to stay away from me?” Jimin asked reluctantly.

You hesitated, “In a way, yes. He thinks you’re bad news.”

Jimin’s eyes found yours, his expression doubtful, “And what do you think?”

You broke away from his gaze to shift your attention to the scene outside, it was almost mid afternoon, and the streets were still busy as ever. You sighed and brought your focus back on Jimin before replying, “I haven’t decided yet.”

Jimin seemed a bit thrown off by your response but he knew he shouldn’t be. He had hoped you would say something other than that - but he concluded that his hopes were too high. He knew you would be half-hearted towards him once you heard the full story. Still, he couldn’t blame you.

Your coffee had gotten cold, and you had lost the desire to drink it. There was a moment of silence between the two of you before Jimin spoke again.

“Hoseok is close to very few people in this world, I used to be one of them. I’ve tried to apologize, but he’s so cold sometimes, it scares me.”

—————-

Hoseok had gotten home, showered and changed and now was roaming around aimlessly. He tried to eat something but he took a few bites and left the rest on the counter. He checked the time on the clock that hung on the wall in the kitchen - you and Jimin would be back soon, he guessed.

He wandered out of the kitchen, making his way to the living room. As he passed a mirror in the hallway he noticed how expressionless his face looked. He turned slightly, examining his reflection, trying to look okay. The last he wanted was questions from you.

Hoseok heard the door open and footsteps approaching him. “Hey, you’re up,” he heard your voice. He caught a glance of Jimin whispering something in your ear, to which you nodded and then disappearing upstairs.

“Yeah, I slept a little,” he lied through his teeth. He took you in, trying to identify what you were hiding behind your eyes. He couldn’t tell whether you were tired or if you were upset, and he grew afraid of asking you about it.

“So, do you want to do something now?”, you asked, trying to sound cheery.

Hoseok placed his hands on both sides of your arms, “I know I promised we would do something, but I think it’s your turn to get some rest.”

“No, really, I’m fine,” you insisted.

“Okay, how about you get some rest, and then I’ll take you to the club tonight?“ He offered.

You exhaled, "On one condition…”

Hoseok nodded for you to continue, feeling a little anxious of what you might request.

“I’m not dancing.”

He laughed at your response and stepped away from you, “Oh, we’ll see about that.”

——————

You had set an alarm on your phone which went off just past 6, and you yawned pulling yourself out of the bed.

As you drifted to Hoseok’s room, knocking on the door, you waited but no one came to answer. You opened the door slightly, peeking in to see if he was inside. The room stood bare, the curtains pulled shut, there was no sign of him.

You stepped back out, closing the door behind you and headed downstairs, hoping to bump into him there. When you reached the bottom landing you heard someone walk through the front door. “Hoseok?” You called out.

“Nope, just me.” You recognized Jimin’s voice, as you found him coming into the house, slipping off his shoes.

“Did Hoseok go somewhere?” You questioned.

“Yeah, he’s at the club,” Jimin said, walking over to you.

You shook your head at him, “He said he would take me to NOVA tonight, but I guess he ditched me again.”

Jimin let out a low chuckle, “Yeah, he has a habit of doing that. Better get used to it, if you plan to stick around.”

“I guess I’m staying home again tonight then…”, you muttered.

“I can take you,” Jimin offered.

“But you just got home.”

“I just came back to pick up some studio cables for Yoongi - he’s DJ-ing tonight and he forgot to take some audio equipment with him for his new set.” Jimin explained.

“Oh, okay. I’ll get ready quick.” You smiled at him.

“Meet me outside when your ready, oh and here,” he tossed you a pair of keys, “lock up the front door when you come out.”

You caught the keys in your right hand and nodded as you took the stairs two at a time, heading upstairs.

——————–

You locked the door and made your way to

Jimin who was sitting in his car, typing away on his phone, while the car was running.

After a quick frustrating argument you had with yourself for not packing anything other than jeans and shirts you gave up and settled for what you had. You had never been to a club before - were you even allowed to wear jeans to a club? Did people do that? Or was there some kind of rule that you had to wear low cut tops and short dresses that were skin tight?

You had settled for a pair of ripped jeans and a black printed tshirt. This will have to do, you had thought when you were getting changed.

The drive to NOVA was quick, and Jimin only mentioned one thing on the way there - ‘Don’t do anything stupid’.

There it was again, that loud bass spilling from the peripheries of the night club. As you stepped inside the club, with Jimin trailing you, he stopped you by the arm to lean closer in your direction.

He stretched out his arm and pointed in the direction of where Hoseok was. “I’ll be right back, I’m just going to give these to Yoongi and I’ll meet you by the bar, okay?”

You simply nodded indicating you had heard what he was shouting in your ear over the loud music.

Jimin headed off, making his way over to where the other member, Yoongi, you recalled stood behind an expensive looking DJ setup, a pair of headphones over his head. Before heading off in your own direction you took note of the music playing, which was a lot better than the other night which made you realize why Jin had made Yoongi the main DJ at NOVA.

The club seemed bigger than before, or perhaps you hadn’t noticed it quite right the first time you had been there. You spotted Hoseok standing near a booth with a group of people. As you slowly made your way over to them, you noticed how absorbed they were in what Hoseok was telling them. So this was Hoseok in his element. Everyone in the palm of his hand, smiles plastered on their faces, completely unaware of all that surrounded them.

There were a couple of guys, who looked like they were the same age, and a few girls, in which the centre of them, stood Mona, glued to Hoseok’s side. You didn’t even know her, but the way she was eyeing your friend made you want to walk back out and scream into an empty alleyway.

You pushed aside your unpleasant thoughts and approached the group. “Hey!”, you called out over the music.

Hoseok’s eyes lit up at the sight of you as he pulled out of Mona’s grip and came over to greet you. “How did you get here?”

“Uh, Jimin drove me.”

Hoseok tried to hold back his annoyance, “I was going to come and get you, I just thought you would still be sleeping.”

“It okay, Jimin came back to get some cables for Yoongi so he offered me a ride.” You attempted a smile.

“Yeah, Jimin to the rescue… As always,” Hoseok muttered under his breath.

“What?” You spoke louder as the music picked back up, waiting for him to repeat what he said.

“Nothing, nevermind. Come on, let me introduce you to everyone.” He pulled you over to where the rest of his friends stood, a couple of them were eyeing the two of you.

Hoseok took the time to introduce each of the individuals that stood before you. When he got to Mona, you acted like you knew nothing of her. Her hair looked even redder up close.

“Nice to meet you,” you stuck out your hand for her to shake.

She placed her hand in yours, “You too,” she said slyly. You thought you felt something stinging your right arm and you realized her grip was unrealistically strong, as her nails dug into the skin on the inside of your wrist.

You smiled trying to hold back a curse as you yanked your hand out of her grip, trying to look normal. Hoseok was engrossed in a conversation with some guy to his right and didn’t notice the physical interaction that had just happened between you and Mona. Without looking down you tucked your arm behind you, knowing full well the skin on the inside of your wrist was probably red.

As Mona stepped back into her place next to your penpal, Jimin appeared next to you. You were glad to see him.

“Do you want a drink?” He asked, leaning close to your ear, so you could hear him clearly.

“Sure.”

He patted your back lightly before making his way to the bar.

———————

“Who’s that gorgeous creature you were just talking to?” Taehyung asked as Jimin ordered a set of drinks.

“Oh, that’s Y/N,” he told his friend.

“Are you going out with her?”, the boy on the other side of the counter asked while he mixed drinks.

Jimin glanced back into the crowd, observing you standing in the crowd of Hoseok’s friends. You looked out of place there, he noticed.

He turned his attention back to Taehyung, “No, she’s Hoseok’s penpal. He’s already warned her to stay away from me.”

“Well, I guess then it’s my turn to make a move. He didn’t warn her to avoid me,” Taehyung said with a wink.

Jimin rolled his eyes, “Back off, you should just stick with bartending. And besides, if Hoseok isn’t going to show interest in her, I don’t care what he says, but I’m going for it.”

“Jimin, trust me and stay out of it. You know how mad Hoseok got last time.”

Jimin sighed, taking a sip of his drink, feeling it burn it’s way down his throat, “I know, it was just an 'if’.”

——————

As Jimin returned with your drink you were grateful for his comeback. Mona’s constant leering in your direction was making you uncomfortable.

As the song switched from one melody to another, you heard Hoseok’s voice, “YESSSSS!” He screamed looking in Yoongi’s direction, whom smiled back at him. You giggled, figuring that this was one of his favourites.

“Come on, let’s dance!” He grabbed a hold of you.

“No no,” you pulled free.

He shrugged when Mona came to his side, “I’ll dance with you!” She yelled over the beat. He took a hold of her, syncing in with the crowd and you rolled your eyes.

You chatted with Jimin as the song played out and he didn’t hesitate to bust out a couple of his own dance moves, making you giggle.

You kept your eyes off Hoseok and Mona, and observed the rest of the crowd. Jimin pointed out the rest of the members to you. Namjoon and his girlfriend were sitting in a booth, enjoying each other’s company. Jungkook was at the bar chatting up some girl who was ordering drinks from Taehyung. And Jin was in the back, in his office.

When the song ended, Hoseok made his way back to you, “Do you want another drink?” He asked, catching his breath.

“Sure, I just have to use the restroom, I’ll be right back.” He waved you off in response.

The further back you ventured into the club, looking for the restroom, the more the music began to fade in the distance. As you approached the the women’s lavatory you noticed the door was slightly pushed ajar, voices drifting out. You recognized one of them immediately. Mona.

“I don’t know who she thinks she is. Everyone knows Hoseok is mine.” Some girls in the back gave her a muffled response.

“No, I don’t give a shit. I know she’s his penpal.. She’s the one he went running after the other night. And it won’t be long till she leaves him, just like the rest of them.” More muffled words emerged.

“…I always find a way, she already looks half broken, it won’t take me long to get rid of her. I’m just glad she’ll be easier than the rest.”

The voices got closer to the door and you backed off, tucking yourself into a dark corner, behind a wall, as Mona and a few other girls emerged from the restroom.

As soon as they were out of sight you walked into one of the restroom stalls and leaned against the door frame running your hands through your hair. What had you gotten yourself into?

—————-

You loomed out of the restroom when you realized how long you had been in there. You had heard what you weren’t supposed to. Hoseok’s penpal’s had been leaving him and all this time he had been blaming Jimin. Both boys may share a portion of the blame, but neither of them knew who the driving force had been this entire time. And she had a name. 

As you joined Hoseok back in the midst of the club, you saw how he was laughing with his friends and the how the look on Mona’s face changed as other girls came by and gave him attention. This girl was trouble. You knew that if you wanted to get anywhere with Hoseok, you couldn’t let her get to you.

Yoongi was still on a roll as he spun track after track and Hoseok returned to his state as being immersed in the music. Your lips slowly upturned in a slight smile, even though your night hadn’t gone the way you had hoped, you were glad to see Hoseok having fun. It wasn’t until Mona had joined him again that your expression turned sour and you turned your back making your way in the opposite direction.

You approached the bar and found a spot in an empty bar stool next to Jimin, “I think i’ll have another drink now,” you huffed, looking at Taehyung.

He pushed a drink in your direction, and you gulped it down in one go. You pushed the shot glass back to him, indicating to him to fill it back up. He raised an eyebrow and gave you a smirk, but still refilled the cup, which you downed once again.

Jimin noticed your behaviour, “Woah, take it easy.” He pushed the empty glass away from you so you couldn’t ask for a refill. You pushed him off — the alcohol was making you sick, but seeing Hoseok and Mona together made you even sicker, and the taste of the drink seemed like nothing compared against it.

——————————

The rest of the night seemed to go downhill from there. Hoseok was too busy in his group of friends and with his “girl” to give you any sort of attention. He would come by every now and then to see if you were okay and then disappear off again. As more time passed, and the more drinks you took in, the quicker anger seemed to build up inside you.

You wanted out. The music was starting to sound like a blur to you now, and you nudged Jimin, asking him to take you home. You couldn’t stand to be around her anymore, especially when she was coddled up next to him the way she was.

Jimin agreed and told you to meet him out by his car. Despite the resentment swirling inside you, you figured you’d let Hoseok know that you were heading home.

He was seated in a booth when you approached, trying to stabilize yourself. “Hey, I’m heading home for the night, okay?” You wobbled, trying to keep your balance. You hated to admit it, but you definitely weren’t sober any longer.

He got out of the booth, taking in your condition, “How much have you had to drink?” he looked concerned.

“Just a little, I’ll be fine. Jimin’s taking me home.”

“Oh, so he’ll offer to take you home but won’t look out for you when you’re busy getting drunk?!” Hoseok exclaimed.

“I’m not in the mood to have an argument with you about Jimin right now, I’m going home.” you pushed him away.

“No,” he grabbed a hold of you once again, “I’m taking you back this time.”

“She said she’ll be fine, Hoseok, just let her go,” Mona’s voice emerged from the back, as she tugged on Hoseok’s free arm.

He freed herself from her, not giving her a response, as he pulled you out of the club and down the steps. He wasn’t in as bad a shape as you but he still knew he shouldn’t be driving. He opened the back of Jimin’s car and waited for you to get in, then followed in behind, taking a seat next to you.

“You’re coming too?” Jimin’s voice came from the front seat.

“Just drive.” Hoseok said firmly.

————————————

When the three of you reached the member’s home, Hoseok pulled you though the door, his grip wasn’t harsh but it was firm enough that you knew you wouldn’t be able to escape it unless you really put your back into it.

As Jimin followed the two of you from behind, Hoseok had placed you on the couch and turned to the other member. “How dare you let her get this wasted?!”, his voice rose.

Jimin stood grounded in his spot, “It was her decision.” he stated calmly.

“You let her make a stupid decision!” Hoseok’s voice echoed throughout the empty home.

“Why are you raising your voice at me, she’s your penpal!”, Jimin was beginning to lose his patience now.

“But you wouldn’t know, because you were too busy smooching off of Mona all night to even pay attention to Y/N!” Jimin continued.

“Don’t bring her into this, she has nothing to do with it.” Hoseok said furiously.

This time you spoke up, pushing yourself off the couch, “Why?! Why shouldn’t he? Huh? Why are you always getting on Jimin’s back for everything?”

“Y/N, stay out of this,” Hoseok said as a warning.

“She’s toxic, Hoseok. You don’t know a single thing, you…”

“Oh, and you do?” he let out a dark chuckle, “You’ve been here 3 days, and you act like you know everything about me.” His voice sent shivers up your spine.

“Trust me, she’s bad news, she’s…” you began before Hoseok interrupted you again.

“I told you Jimin was bad news, but did you listen to me? NO. And now you’re playing that card on me?” He huffed.

“Jimin is nothing like her!” you stated annoyed.

“You don’t know… you…”, he began to fumble for his words.

“Fine. Don’t listen. But when she causes you hell, don’t come crying back to me.”

There was a sudden change in the atmosphere of the room. And Hoseok took a second to collect his thoughts and focus his determined eyes on you.

“Everyone already left, Y/N, if you didn’t already know. I know you’ll just do the same, so stop acting like you care even an ounce for me.” He became as stiff as a board, his emotions were all over the place by now.

You finally understood what Jimin meant when he mentioned how frightening Hoseok became when he was acting cold. The blood flowing through your veins felt as though it had frozen solid and you could feel the effects of his words in your bones. It was a lingering aftermath, like a venom making its way slowly into your system, disengaging each feature within along its way.

As tears began to brim your eyes you slightly turned you body away from him.

“Maybe I will leave. I guess if I do, it won’t be a surprise to you”

~


	8. Chapter 8

The air in the room felt heavy. Hoseok hadn’t moved from his spot, his eyes still fixed on you. You hung your head low; after your mention of leaving, you had torn your eyes away from him. All the yelling had temporarily subsided the nauseating effects you were feeling, but as soon the room grew quiet, the dizziness seeped back through. You grabbed onto the staircase railing behind you to steady yourself.

Jimin noticed, “Are you okay?” He moved towards you.

You waved him off, “I’m fine, I just need some air”, you said as you walked past the two boys standing in your proximate, towards the door.

Hoseok let out a sound, making you think he was going to say something. When he failed to continue his thought you picked up your pace towards the exit.

“I’ll be back in a bit,” you inform them.

When you had left, Hoseok looked at Jimin, "Go with her, it’s the middle of the night, she -”

Jimin cut him off, “Do I have to really have to repeat myself and tell you that she’s your penpal?”

“She won’t listen to me, especially not now. She will hear you out.” Hoseok was feeling anxious and he hoped Jimin would comply quickly - you couldn’t have gotten that far yet.

“You’re pathetic.” Was Jimin’s final response before he headed out after you.

For the second time that night, Hoseok felt as though he was useless. He closed his eyes, trying to even his staggering breaths. He wondered why you wanted to protect Jimin so fiercely from him. Why did you blame Mona for being the reason why all his penpals left? He didn’t want to believe you. He figured that you were using Jimin as an excuse to avoid accepting the fact that Jimin wasn’t what he appeared to be. Hoseok was fixated on the other member as the wrong doer - maybe it was just better to let Jimin have his way with you. Perhaps it was the best way to end all this. His mind filled him with false certainty, as he stood there, motionless, staring at the front door which you had walked out of earlier.

——————–

“Y/N! Wait up!” Jimin called out, running to catch up with you. He wondered how you had gotten far so quickly.

You didn’t turn around to face the boy, “I already said I’d be back in a little bit, please go back home.”

“You shouldn’t go too far, it’s not safe.” He protested.

“I’ll be fine.” You kept walking, hoping he would leave you be.

“Okay, I’ll just come with you.” His voice settled but you grew irritated.

You whipped around to face him, “Didn’t you hear what I said? I’ll be fine, I just need time to think.”

Jimin stood a few feet from you, “Y/N, you’re barely sober enough to think about anything. Hoseok said to -,”

“Why are you always doing what Hoseok tells you? Isn’t he the one who blames you for all the shit that you’ve caused? Isn’t he the one who hasn’t forgiven you yet? Stop acting like a damn puppy, and act for yourself.” Your own words rung clearly through your ears, as you tried to catch your breath.

Jimin sighed and looked at his feet. When his eyes returned up to meet yours you saw him hesitate before he spoke, “You know how you said you weren’t sure how you felt about me? … I think I just got my answer.”

You felt unsure of the capability of your own senses at that point as you attempted to decipher the look in his eyes. It looked like you had shattered a mirror, and he stood barefoot with the pieces surrounding him, leaving cuts and bruises on him.

“You’re angry at Hoseok right now, not me.” He spoke softly. “I have to go out, I’ll see you in the morning.” He turned to head back the way he came.

“Shit,” you muttered under your breath. As much as you wanted to walk away from this too, you couldn’t. Hoseok was already out of your hand, and although you hadn’t planned it, you didn’t want Jimin to slip away from you too.

“Wait, Jimin!”, you jogged to catch up to him, coming up on his right side to stand in front of him. Holding out your hand, you placed it on his chest to stop him.He was in closer proximity to you now and you saw that you really did cause damage - something you only speculated from further away.

“I’m sorry… I didn’t mean that. I…”, you sputtered.

Jimin placed his hand over yours, pulling it off of his chest. When he placed your hand back at your side gently, you thought for a moment that he wasn’t going to accept your terrible apology.

“Jimin, what I said, it was out of line, I didn’t -”,

“I know. It’s okay,” he stayed focused on you, keeping his voice low.

“Come back soon, okay?” He rubbed the side of your arm in a calm manner.

You simply nodded in response, lowering your head, still feeling unsettled.

When Jimin left, you ran your hands through your hair, trying to pull your messy thoughts together. You spent a while on the streets, passing the empty alleyways between buildings - the city was asleep but here you were, awake, when you shouldn’t be.

You headed back soon and when you stepped through the door, the lights were all out, so you stumbled your way to the staircase, heading up to your room. Without changing you fell onto the bed, pulling out your phone. Jimin had left you a message asking to let him know when you returned. You sent a reply and clicked the phone to sleep. You were out in no time.

——————

An unfamiliar voice stirred you awake. It was definitely coming from the house, you had to trace its source. There was a faint light seeping through from behind the curtains, and you checked the time to notice it was almost 6 in the morning. You tried to ignore the voice and fall back under but it was no use. The voice only grew more redundant. When you realized that it wasn’t going to back down you decided to push yourself out of bed. Pulling your hair up into a hair tie, you shuffled across the floors into the hallway.

“…this is why you aren’t manager! Because you don’t take responsibility in your work.” The voice boomed from the bottom floor.

As you descended the stairs slowly, more words were spilled.

“…I don’t give a damn, Hoseok. Jimin came in last night to help me finish the work you left behind.”

“I had to bring Y/N home -”, Hoseok protested.

“Jimin was looking after her wasn’t he? You already fool around enough with Mona, that’s it - that’s all you get.” The other voice huffed.

“Jimin, doesn’t know shit.” Hoseok’s voice was hostile now.

“This isn’t about him. I get that Y/N is your penpal, so keep it that way. If you want to be manager then show me you can handle it and stop doing things half-assed.”

“Quit the complaints, it was just a one time thing, she’s leaving anyways.” Hoseok’s voice stimulated a period of silence.

As you stood halfway down the staircase, your heart froze for a second.

“Why?” The other male voice asked.

Hoseok sounded drained, “Doesn’t matter, okay. All that I know is that she’ll be gone in a couple of hours, so there won’t be anymore distractions.”

Distraction? Not a good start to the day.

—————-

You returned to your room, still hearing the sound of the two boys in the background, as you shut your door and melted to the ground. The room was still dark with the curtains shut and your eyes fell on the only object that was under your attention, the outline of your suitcase. Hoseok’s words hit you hard, and in that stupid moment you really did just want to pick up the suitcase and walk out.

But you waited. Held your head in your hands and waited until the second voice disappeared off before making your way downstairs. Hoseok was sitting in a bar stool at the island, looking down at a newspaper in front of him.

The warm sunlight was pouring though the window above the sink and hitting the right side of his face, illuminating his skin. You took him in, his body still looked drowsy, as if he too had barely gotten any sleep.

Your feet moved before you could think, carrying you over to sit next to him at the island. “Was someone here?” You questioned.

“Jin.” He answered simply.

You replied with a simple hmm, looking down at your hands.

“Why are you still here?"He spoke without emotion.

"My flight back isn’t until the end of next week,” you answered lamely.

“You should go.” He was still avoiding your gaze.

“I’m not leaving, you haven’t fulfilled your promise yet.”

“Why are you ignoring what happened last night? Why are you still here after that?” Now he was interested in your answer, looking at you directly.

You hopped off the stool to walk over to the coffee maker, switching it on. “We had a fight. So what.” You stated softly.

“But -,”

“Penpal or not, I’m still your friend. And I don’t care what the others did, I’m sticking around.”

“For Jimin, I’m assuming,” he muttered.

As the coffee maker began to heat up you turned and held up a stern finger to the boy, “Don’t start with me.”

“I still don’t believe what you said about Mona,” he stated.

“Fine with me. Despite how I told you, I still wanted you to know. But please, leave Jimin out of it.” You spoke as your poured the coffee into a mug.

Hoseok didn’t answer, he returned his attention back to the article in front of him.

“Why was Jin here?” You prodded.

“No reason.” He was avoiding questions again.

“Please, don’t make me prod you again. His yelling woke me up,” you admitted.

“Then why are asking if you already know?”

“I want to hear your side,” you refrained from rolling your eyes.

Hoseok sighed, “He was mad at me because I was working on some bill payments earlier that I hadn’t finished, and Jimin, that suck-up, went in and finished it because I came home with you.”

“Oh,” was all you could reply at first. You wrapped your hands around the mug, taking in its warmth, and leaned closer to Hoseok. “I know how much being manager means to you, so do me a favour and don’t worry about me or anyone else for the time being and just focus on the club work.”

“But -”, he began to protest but you held up a hand to stop him.

“No buts - I can look after myself just fine, and if I need anything I can always ask Jimin. We can just hang out when you have time, okay?”

You were a distraction, apparently. And if that’s how Hoseok saw you, you weren’t going to stand in his way.

On the other hand, Hoseok was none to pleased with this new arrangement, but he knew you were right, if he didn’t pull himself together, he would lose the chance to become manager at NOVA, and Jin could only hold off the position some while longer, until he hired someone else.

Hoseok didn’t know where his feelings lied. He had been trying to push the thought of you away since your arrived but each time you were around he found himself growing closer. He was stuck between wanting two things at the same time - on one end he wanted the position and on the other, he wanted you. The difficult part was - which one was he prepared to put off for the time being?

The amount of confusion restrained him from spilling a rebuttal, so he simply nodded, accepting your words.

—————-

The rest of week, you decided to stay in, well, most nights. Jimin came around eventually, after you had chased him down and made him accept your multiple attempts at apologizing for the other night when you called him out.

But each time he chuckled and pushed you aside gently, letting you know not to worry about it. Hoseok had agreed to your request and was at NOVA most nights - in a way, you were content with the fact that he was going after what he wanted. But on the other end, the longer Hoseok stayed out of your line of sight, the more you found yourself being pulled towards Jimin.

With Hoseok gone most nights, you spent time at home, sometimes the other members would join you in front of the tv while you lounged around and at other times when they weren’t working at NOVA, they pulled you into a car and drove you around in the middle of the night. Apparently that was a thing here. And you had to admit, it was calming. 

—————

It was the beginning of the second week when the occasion came around. You were making a snack in the kitchen for yourself and for Jimin, who was busy setting up a new sound system in the living room, when she walked in.

“Hoseok!”, you heard her voice coming from the front entrance.

She found her way into the kitchen where to her unpleasant surprise, stood you. She was carrying an expensive looking purse and a paper shopping bag.

“Oh hi, do you know where my boyfriend is?”, she asked slyly.

She really was milking this whole thing. You chuckled under your breath, “You mean Hoseok?”. As much as you hated that word coming from her mouth about him, you decided to have a little fun.

"Yeah, Hoseok.” She looked displeased.

You raised an eyebrow, “He’s your boyfriend, shouldn’t you know where he is?”, you gave her a polite smile.

Her eyebrows came down in a knot, “Stop playing games with me, I know he probably told you where he went, so spill.”

Just being near Mona made your head spin, “Actually you know what, there’s this thing - what’s it called? Oh, right, a cell phone,” you ran a hand through your hair, “It would probably be of use to you right now, don’t you think?” Your smirk grew bigger.

“You’re fucking useless.” She sneered. Her choice of words kept you still. You grew curious as to what Hoseok actually saw in her or if he knew she was going around calling him her boyfriend.

You just shrugged at her recent comment and returned to completing the snack you were making. She grew impatient from your response and turned to head back the way she came. To be honest, you weren’t quite sure where Hoseok was - that morning he had told you that he was heading out to run some errands for Jin, so you were unsure of where he was at the moment or when he would be home.

As Mona walked back, to the front room, you heard her exchanging words with Jimin. She was probably asking him now where Hoseok was. But the longer she talked, the more questions exploded in your head.

When she finally left you emerged from the kitchen, bringing your snacks with you. Jimin had returned to his setting up and you noticed the shopping bag that Mona was carrying sitting on the sofa in the corner of the room.

“What’s that?”, you asked Jimin, who was pulling and arranging cables around the speaker system, plugging in things here and there.

“Mona left a tie for Hoseok, for the premiere,” he responded, still with his back to you.

“Premiere?”

Jimin stood up and turned to face you with a surprised look, “Shit, did I forget to tell you?”

You let out a hmm in response, while you began eating the snacks.

“We got invited to a movie premiere on Friday, and I’m pretty sure our manager said we could bring a plus one, if we wanted, so Mona came to give Hoseok his tie but he wasn’t here, so she told me to give it to him when he got back.”

“I thought you were all on break until the end of next week…”, you began.

“Yeah, we were supposed to be, that’s why Hoseok called you to visit during this time, but I think he forgot about the premiere - I don’t really want to go, but it’s not something we can get out of now,” he sighed.

“Well, I’m sure it will be fun, you should look forward to it instead of sulking.” You sat down on the sofa, still munching on the food in front of you.

“I would go if I had someone to take.” He spoke suggestively now.

You were looking down at your food now, “That’s simple, I’m sure you can find someone at the club,” you offered.

Jimin’s eyes shifted directly to you now, as he moved to stand in front of where you were seated, “Actually, I was hoping you would want to go with me?”

Your gaze shifted up to his face, “I don’t know… I’m not really a red carpet kinda person… and besides, I don’t have anything to wear, unless you count jeans as formal wear,” you chuckled.

Jimin rolled his eyes and bent down on his knees to sit in front of you, “Oh, come on, we’ve spent all last week around the house, it’ll be fun if we go together,” he wiggled his eyebrows.

You laughed, “So jeans then?”

“No way! If I have to wear a suit, then you have to wear a dress.” He smirked.

————————————

The end of the week approached quicker than usual, and although you had insisted on going dress shopping, Jimin said not to worry about it since their stylists would ‘do you up nice’, or so he said. The night of the event, the stylist team for the group of boys was busy getting them ready and a few women were working on you in a separate dressing room.

When you emerged from the dressing room a little while later, two pairs of eyes set themselves on you, but only one came to greet you. Jimin.

He scratched the back of his head, feeling his cheeks heat up, “You look amazing,” he took you in.

You blushed and shook your head, unable to get out any words. You shifted your attention across the room to Hoseok, standing near the door, with Mona at his side. She looked thrilled, and he, well, he wore a blank expression, as he met eyes with you.

The entire week had gone by, and whenever Hoseok was around, the two of you had gotten along well - he even spent one night with you and some of the other members at home while you all stayed in for a movie. But now as his attention remained focused on you, you hoped that this night would go alright, you really didn’t want to cause another scene.

————————————

The flashes consumed you. Coming from every single direction, you had no idea where to look, so you followed Jimin’s direction of sight. Wherever he looked, you looked. You were surprised to see that all the members had someone at their side on the red carpet, and you understood why Jimin was hesitant to be on his own.

As the photographers continued clicking their camera shutters, you made sure to stand how the stylists had shown you earlier that night. Posing was not easy, especially for a rookie like you.

After the initial photos were taken, the members were directed towards a large group of journalists waiting to have a chat with each of them. You were glad that Jimin did most of the talking, allowing you to make comments light-heartedly when you were asked something. All the while, he made sure to keep his arm around your waist - you weren’t sure whether he was doing this for his image, or for personal reasons. Whatever it was, you made note of asking him later.

The night was off to a good start, until a reporter asked the question you were dreading.

“So, are you two together?”, she asked, referring between the two of you.

You looked at Jimin, with a polite smile, and he raised a suggestive eyebrow - you were going to let him answer this one. His stare lingered on your face before he returned to answer the female reporter.

His grip tightened on you, “Yes, we are.”

When the reporter had gotten a couple more questions into her interview, she let the two of you go. While heading into the theatre, you found your voice, “Care to explain?”

Jimin laughed softly, “I will, when we get home.”

————————————

After the premiere, Jimin dropped you home, saying he would be back in a bit. You shut the car door and headed inside. The night had gone well, Hoseok was quieter than usual - you had peeked a glance or two his way during interviews and other photo sessions, and he seemed lost in his own space.

Little did you know that when you would walk through the door, he would be waiting to bombard you with glares from every direction.

“Do I even have to ask?” He crossed his arms.

“What’s wrong now? Did Mona say something?” you asked, as you pulled off your shoes.

He crossed the room in a few strides to stand in front of you, his scent was heavy, filling your head. You looked up at him, “Are you going to tell me or scowl at me all night?”

“I’m trying to decide whether I want to hear the answer or not,” he spoke, just loud enough to be audible. He was standing so close to you, you could feel the heat of his body on your own and his breath touching the bridge of your nose.

The expression in his voice made you afraid to take a step back, “Hoseok…”, you prompted.

“Why is every single celebrity website headlining the confirmation that you and Jimin are dating?” He asked bitterly.

You felt every vein in your body go numb as you tried to gather your thoughts attempting to come up with an answer.

Hoseok held his breath while he waited for your response. Jimin and you? He couldn’t fathom the statement. 

So he settled for the elementary interpretation: Two bullets, one gun.

~


	9. Chapter 9

“So… you’re telling me, that you skipped the after party to come home and ask me that?”, You questioned your rather stubborn penpal.

“No.. I was already on my way home, when Mona called me from the damn party to tell me what she had heard from some reporter that had sneaked into the place.” He was still ridiculously close to you and you didn’t want to take a step back; it was almost as though someone had planted your feet into the floorboards.

You chuckled softly, “You should’ve stayed at the party - I know for sure Mona is going to show up here tomorrow and start asking questions.”

“Stop avoiding the topic, Y/N. Tell me what happened. Now.” He demanded.

Where the hell is Jimin? You thought to yourself - Jimin had said he would explain everything once the two of you got home, but here you were, standing face-to-face with the only person who you were afraid to explain yourself to.

You were about to blurt out a response when you finally heard the voice you were praying for.

“Jeez, Hoseok, one girl isn’t enough for you?” Jimin was holding a bag of take-out in one hand, and was pulling off his shoes with the other.

Hoseok’s eyes finally diverted their attention off of you and landed on his friend. “I was just asking her about what happened. What the hell do you think your doing anyway?” Hoseok shifted his body position away from you as Jimin approached you from behind, placing his free hand on your back, causing a burden to lift from your shoulders.

“I liked Y/N, so I asked her out - I’m pretty sure that’s how it works. Now stop pestering her,” Jimin finished and began to lead you up the stairs.

“But -“, Hoseok was about to get back into it but Jimin cut him off.

“I said quit it Hoseok.” And that was that. The two of you left the boy standing near the doorway as you made your ways upstairs, but not before you took a glance back to see the look of disappointment flash in Hoseok’s eyes.

———————

Jimin followed you into your room and shut the door loudly behind him.

“Are you angry at the door or something?”, you raised an eyebrow.

He smirked, “No, I was just making sure that Hoseok heard us go into your room.”

“Thank god you stepped in when you did, because I had no idea how I was going to answer him. So are you going to explain yourself or what?”, you crossed your arms over your chest.

“Can we eat first? I’m starving…”, Jimin pulled the shopping bag open to pull its contents out, but you walked over to take it out of his hands.

“Oh no, explanations first.” you kept your voice firm.

Jimin sighed and then pulled off his suit jacket, tossing it over the chair that was close to the bed. “I know how you feel about Hoseok,” he admitted, loosening his tie and unbuttoning the top buttons of his dress shirt.

“I’d like to hear this, because I’m pretty sure, I never told you how I feel about Hoseok.”

“You didn’t have to,” Jimin said taking a seat on the edge of the bed.

You kept quiet, waiting for him to continue. You hadn’t uttered a word about your true feelings for Hoseok, but you knew that Jimin was well aware of the fact that Hoseok made your head spin at times.

“From the moment you asked me to take you to a nearby hotel to stay there for the night, I knew that that idiot downstairs had taken up enough space in your head - or in other words, you fell for your penpal. “

You laughed. Loud enough for your voice to fill the room which had fallen silent after Jimin finished talking. “Jimin, I don’t have feelings for him, he just irritates me more than the regular person.” Now the was time to put all your defences up.

Jimin was leaning forward now, resting his elbows on his knees, “Stop trying to bullshit me, Hoseok has already got that covered.”

“I’m not -“, you began.

“Yes. You are. I know you have feelings for him, and that you dislike Mona, and that you want to tell Hoseok, but you know that you’re leaving in a couple days so you don’t want to start something you can’t finish.”

Now you were a little irritated, “Oh, so announcing to the world that you and I are dating, is not starting something that we can’t finish?” you huffed.

“That’s different. I told that reporter of our relationship because I knew it would throw Hoseok off. I’m just trying to make him jealous enough for him to admit what he has going on inside his head.” Jimin explained.

“Jimin that’s the oldest trick in the book - using a friend to make the other jealous - and I’m 99% sure Hoseok isn’t naive enough to believe that we’re actually a couple.” You stated, somewhat surprised Jimin was even taking an interest in something that had nothing to do with him.

“He may not be. But I know that seeing you with me will drive him crazy and we just need to keep it up long enough for him to fall off the edge. I promise it will -“, he was opting to continue persuading you but you intervened.

“Jimin, my flight home is in 4 days, that’s not enough time. And besides, Hoseok is barely home now that I told him to focus on keeping up with work at NOVA - your plan is not going to work.”

“… well on the bright side, at least I got you to acknowledge the fact that you like the dork.” Jimin’s eyes were playful, as he sent you smile.

You wacked him on the arm lightly, “This isn’t funny.”

“Trust me, it will work. But we just need to practice being a couple… which means you gotta kiss me,” his eyes dropped.

“I - what?”, you rose your voice slightly.

“Kiss me.” He ordered, and you wavered. “We have to convince Hoseok, and if you don’t look like you’re into me, then it won’t look real.”

“Don’t worry, when the time comes, I won’t hesitate,” you answered confidently.

“Damn it, Y/N,” he muttered before pulling you into him, connecting his lips with yours. Jimin didn’t overwhelm you, but he lingered long enough for your cheeks to grow warm, indicating your clear embarrassment.

Jimin let you go softly and a smirk appeared on his face, “Well, at least you were right about the fact that you didn’t need to practice.”

You gave him a light shove, “Stop being a tease and give me my food, now I’m starving too.” You laughed as the two of you settled on the ground, leaning your backs against the bed. You exchanged comments about the nights events while you shovelled bites of the takeout Jimin had brought. Making sure to stay immersed in the silly conversation Jimin kept afloat, you opted to forget Hoseok for the night leaving only his disheartened gaze standing dominant.

————

Hoseok heard your room door slam shut and he slowly climbed the wooden stairs. As he got closer to the top he heard laughs emerging from your room - he noticed two things. One - you laughed loud enough that it seemed like whatever had happened on this trip for you, good or bad, seemed to lead you up to this point. And two, Hoseok didn’t realize until that moment how much he hated the fact that he had never heard you laugh like that when you were with him. 

The sound of your voice made him stop dead in his tracks and return back downstairs, but this time he didn’t stop. He pulled at his neck tie, loosening it and chucking his suit jacket off to the side as he let himself out, making sure to slam the door just as loud, so you heard that he was gone.

———–

The next couple days had passed by quickly - Hoseok was none to pleased every time Jimin set even a foot in your direction, and when his hand was in yours or his arm slung around your shoulder, Hoseok found excuses to dart his eyes away or to leave the room. It was ridiculous, he couldn’t even stand his ground, and the nights he wasn’t home gave him just enough relief to handle what he had to face once he got home. But then again, it was just enough. 

You were hanging around on the couch, flipping through some emails when he appeared in the doorway. He stood leaning against the wall at first, and you looked up to give him a smile, “Whats up?”, you asked, setting your phone aside.

“I know tomorrow is your last day, and I still owe you that promise, so I was wondering if you want to go down by the lake?” Hoseok asked as he pulled his feet up and crossed his legs next to you on the couch.

“Aren’t you working tomorrow night?”, you wondered.

“I asked Jin and took the night off because of you. So what do you say?” He met eyes with you which made you feel at ease.

You stood up sliding your phone into your pocket as you rose, and looked down at Hoseok, “Sure.” The invitation had left you in a good mood for the night, and as you said goodnight to the boy, his eyes traced you until you disappeared out of the room.

————

The first thing that you noticed was the heat - and you were glad that you had grabbed a pair of sunglasses on your way out. And the second thing was the way Hoseok stood staring at the tides washing in, while you walked across the sand to grab ice cream for the two of you. 

When you had paid the vendor you shoved the changed into your pocket and made your way back to where he was standing. He turned meeting you halfway and lead you to sit under a tree insisting that the ice cream would melt slower under the shade. 

Hoseok was wearing a white t-shirt and faded ripped jeans, with a baseball cap pulled over his head, his fringe showing from beneath. You had been here 2 weeks and you hadn’t seen as relaxed as he was at that moment. He leaned his back on the tree as he ate the ice cream, still glancing at the waves. You couldn’t tell whether he was being quiet on purpose or if he liked the silence, so you opted not to break it.

When he began munching on the cone he finally spoke, “Does he treat you alright? Jimin, I mean?”, he asked.

“Yeah.” was your simple response.

“I’m sorry for this trip you know,” he continued.

“Why?”

“I didn’t want you to go home like this.” He had almost finished his cone.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“I guess everything that happened… I wish it didn’t happen to you.” He took in the last bite.

“I’m assuming you’re referring to Jimin then?”, you tried to understand where his head was at, but you couldn’t quite put a finger on it.

“Why do you always see me as the bad guy, Y/N?”, he pleaded.

“I don’t Hoseok. You just find ways to tick me off so easily and sometimes I wonder whether you just do it of fun, because of how often it happens.” You got up to throw your napkin in the trash, as Hoseok followed you.

“I don’t believe you - if you really did care about me, you wouldn’t have started dating Jimin.” He began walking in the other direction as you stepped in line with him.

“Hoseok, he’s not your damn enemy, and just because we’re together doesn’t mean he has some kind of bad influence over me and makes me see you in a different light or something.”

“If Jimin wasn’t around, you probably wouldn’t even have come back after that night in the hotel.” He shot back.

You stopped walking, and in a few paces Hoseok looked back to see what happened before coming to stand in front of you. 

“You’re right, I probably wouldn’t have. But do you know why I did? Because Jimin told me that you’re not as shitty as you seem. And I have been talking to you for almost 2 years now, yet somehow I can’t seem to get a grasp on who you really are, or where your head is at, or how you feel.” You made sure to emphasize that last part.

“I came back, because I didn’t want to bail on you like everyone else had. I came back because Jimin told me how much being manager meant to you, and despite your lack of attention and all you bullshit, I still made myself stay put just so you would trust me, even a little.”

“I do trust you, it’s just -,” he began.

“Tell me something then. How come you put up with Mona? She walks around telling people she’s your girl when you just use her as a plus one or buy her free drinks at the bar.”

Hoseok seemed hesitant, “We’re talking about you.” he tried to revert the attention back on you.

“This is about both of us.” You crossed your arms. “Why are you being that guy? Just stop fooling around will you, it’s a waste of time.”

“I will, when you will.” He shoved his hands into his pockets. 

“So that’s how it’s going to be, huh?” He had you cornered, and you were doing your best just to make it out of this stupid conversation alive.

“If I break it off with Jimin, will you let Mona go? And that means no more free drinks, or dates - nothing.” 

“Maybe.” He stood his ground.

“That’s not going to cut it, Hoseok, I want assurance.” 

“But does it really matter? You’re leaving tomorrow, Y/N, you won’t even have to see Mona or hear about her anymore, so all this,” he gestured around the two of you, “It’s all for nothing.”

You remembered back to the previous week when Jin’s voice had woken you up because he was yelling at Hoseok for not finishing his work at the club. Hoseok had called you a distraction. The reason why he wasn’t able to do what he had to. What he wanted to. 

And now he stood in front of you claiming it was all for nothing. Whether you broke it off with Jimin or not, didn’t really matter to him. It did irritate him beyond belief, but you realized that he wasn’t going to let Mona go. Jimin had told you that Hoseok’s feelings for Mona at first were strong, but now you wondered just how badly he had wanted her in the first place that he wasn’t able to let her go after all she had done.

The truth was that Hoseok fed off all the pain around him. From Jimin, from Mona, from the club, and most of all, from you. Each corner he turned, he was slapped by a new hand, leaving a fresh bruise somewhere on his body, giving him just enough time to heal before another hit came around.

You finally realized that Hoseok had been immersed in pain long enough that he didn’t run from it anymore. He had numbed himself to the feeling that the new hits felt more like pinches now, noticeable just enough. He didn’t want to avoid the pain any longer because he knew each time he finally got rid of it, it would come knocking down his door again. So he chose the easiest route possible - he didn’t shut the door, he left it wide open. 

You gathered your thoughts before you let yourself slip. “I guess she’s not the only one I won’t have to see anymore.”

~


	10. Chapter 10

Your last comment left Hoseok’s voice lost, confined to his head. His eyes hadn’t torn away from yours as he tried to calm himself to think of a reasonable response. But he didn’t realize how long he had waited without letting out a word, until you rolled your eyes and turned to walk in the opposite direction.

You were leaving tomorrow and you didn’t want to pull any triggers between Hoseok and yourself that would leave any major damage. Perhaps what you had said was sort of out of line, but you couldn’t lie to yourself and say it wasn’t true. Because it was.

You knew Hoseok was just torturing himself more and more being around Mona, acting like it wasn’t affecting his state. In the short time you had been with him, you realized how good your penpal had gotten at drowning himself in his own misery, to the point where he was so attuned to it, the surroundings didn’t bother him anymore.

And as much as you wanted Hoseok to admit his feelings, you also didn’t want to be the first one to admit your own. All you wanted was to spend time cursing at yourself for being a wimp and not being able to confront the boy.

And perhaps it was a good thing for the both of you. Like you had told Jimin before, you didn’t want to start something with Hoseok that you couldn’t finish.

“So that’s how it’s going to be?” Hoseok’s voice finally reached you from behind as he caught up to your pace.

“I guess so.”

“I don’t think…”, he began.

“Hoseok, please… I don’t want to end our little trip with an argument. Let’s just forget it, alright?”

He didn’t reply, just kept walking alongside you. His pace was steady, steps aligned with yours, but his previously relaxed demeanour had grown stiff, and you found it strange that you were able to sense this without being in any sort of physical contact with him.

As the two of you got closer to the parking lot near the beach, you wondered whether the same thoughts that were circling in your head were doing the same in his. Or maybe he didn’t even care.

The ride home was quiet, there was still tension in the air, and Hoseok tried to initiate conversation a few times, asking if you had finished packing and who was going to pick you up from the airport when you landed, but you gave him solid answers and cut him off quickly. You promised yourself no fighting and you thought silence was the best route to that ending.

Jimin texted you a few times wondering when you’d be home, and you sent him a quick reply. Luckily, Hoseok was focused on the road, one hand on the wheel, and his other arm leaning on the window ledge, so he didn’t look over at you or ask you who it was.

It didn’t take you long after receiving Jimin’s text to reach home, but when you did you quickly jumped out of the passenger seat and headed straight inside, without a word or even a glance back to see if he was following.

You walked in, kicked off your shoes and headed straight upstairs to Jimin’s room. You knocked softly and heard a soft hmm escape from behind the door before you pushed it open and slipped inside.

After you had caved on Jimin’s bed, you gave him a run down of what happened while you were out with Hoseok for the day. Jimin listened intently, looking down and sighing at multiple points of your overview of events, as he took it all in.

“I don’t know what I’m going to do with him honestly, I thought he would have come to his senses by now,” Jimin let out another breath.

You nodded softly in response, “I want to say that I’m tired, and that I want to go home and in my head it sounds right but I still can’t seem to say it out loud and mean it.”

“I wasn’t in favour of playing any games with Hoseok in the first place, and now, after hearing the things he said at the beach, I’m really starting to want out of this..”, your thoughts trailed off.

Jimin, who was seated on the desk chair in his room in a rather laid back fashion suddenly pushed himself up, bringing his body to the corner of the chair, fully alert now.

“No. Y/N, this isn’t over. So what if you’re leaving tomorrow? I know Hoseok will cave soon enough, and I know that the only person who can bring him back in his right mind is you… we just need to trigger him.” Jimin explained.

“I don’t know…”, the uncertainty in your voice returned — it was beginning to feel more familiar now, you noted.

You had spent all morning giving yourself ‘the talk’ about how you would pull no triggers, especially with the fact that you would be on a plane heading home in just under 24 hours now, looming over your head. And here Jimin was, pulling you into another mess, leaving your head feeling fried once again.

Jimin suddenly stood up, “Okay new plan,” he started, looking excited, while walking over to you. 

If you had known any better by now it would have helped you to be sensible after hearing Jimin’s plan and turn him down. But nope, you rather accepted it, but after many trials of trying to get out of first. The plan he came up with was definitely a trigger, but it could go wrong in so many places you wondered whether if was going to be of any benefit in the first place.

————————

Step one of Jimin’s plan happened after he escaped downstairs after explaining to you, to find Hoseok. Jimin was going to convince his friend to take you to NOVA tonight to make up for the so-called ‘shitty morning’ you had. Step one was simple to a certain extent; Hoseok was hesitant at first, he also didn’t want to fight with you but he didn’t want to let you leave like this either, so he agreed with Jimin to take you tonight.

Step two was to argue with Hoseok about who would drive you to the airport the next morning. The drive to the airport next morning, as Jimin had explained to you earlier, would give both of you one last chance to say anything you had kept bottled up inside for the past couple weeks.

After Jimin had finished his explaining you were eager to blurt out that you didn’t have anything to say to Hoseok, but Jimin was quick to call your bluff. He was always doing that, you noticed. And the pathetic thing was, you never learned how to lie properly to that boy. The more times he called you out for bullshitting him, the closer you got to believing that what you felt really existed in some place in your heart, as stupid as it sounds. Perhaps his constant denial of your reasoning allowed you to understand the circumstances you faced, even just a little bit.

While Jimin carried out his plan, you sat in the living room, pretending to watch TV, listening inconspicuously on their conversation.

Of course Hoseok denied Jimin straight up of any negotiation of who would take you the next morning. He glared at his younger friend steadily, “I picked her up, so I’m dropping her off. That’s final.” His voice was firm, but not harsh.

In response, Jimin held his hands up in defeat and backed up a couple steps. He wanted it to look real enough, but he also didn’t want to cross the line and make Hoseok any further discontent.

“Fine, but don’t come crying to Jin or me if the paparazzi catches you and Y/N together, and rumours spread.” Then he played a bit of his acting role in the situation, “I swear to god, Hoseok, if I find even one rumour about Y/N’s loyalty in our relationship in the news the next morning, I’m gonna…”, he let off, before Hoseok cut in.

“Don’t be dramatic, that won’t happen. I know how to snoop around without getting caught.”

And that was that, Jimin had set the plan in motion, now the rest was up to you.

——————————

After Jimin had finished talking to Hoseok he came back to tell you everything was set then said he was going to out and would be back later that night. You got up off the couch to give him a side hug, and a soft ‘thank you’ before slipping back upstairs into your room.

It wasn’t long after Jimin left that you heard a barely audible knock at your door. You opened it without even asking who it was, and there he stood. 

Hoseok stood gawking at you for a couple seconds then began kept shifting his gaze back and forth as he tried to find the right words to fill the awkward atmosphere.

“Uh, I’m leaving to go to NOVA for the night and I was wondering if you wanted to come?” he asked. He held his arms behind his back and without looking you knew he was fidgeting.

“I don’t know Hoseok, I’ve still got some packing left to do and Jimin…”, you tried as an excuse. 

“Jimin’s gone.” He admitted quite quickly. Your eyes met his finally, he looked tired – you knew that Jimin had told you to accept Hoseok’s offer to go out when he asked, but now you were thinking whether staying home was a better option. But that wasn’t part of his plan — and who knew, maybe you’d only make it worse if you altered it.

“I mean,” Hoseok continued, “he went out for the night so I thought we could go out too… you know.. and forget about what happened this morning.”

“I was going to apologize for that.” you stated.

“You don’t have to. You’re probably right… I just… I just can’t get Mona out of my head, as much as I want to, I…” you could hear the frustration growing in his tone as he shook his head.

You stepped closer to the boy and placed both hands on the sides of his arms. “It’s okay. Listen, do me a favour? Let’s just forget about all that right now, okay? I know Jin has got you feeling more and more under pressure considering the upcoming renovation for the club and your manager position is still under question and Mona…”, you sighed, unable to finish your thought, “but, let’s just have fun tonight okay? Just you and me.”

You felt his sides begin to settle under your touch and he moved one of his hands up to clasp around yours, keeping you firmly under his hold.

“I’d like that.” A smiled tugged at the corner of his lips.

“Just promise me one thing?” you added, and his grip on you tightened but he nodded.

“No mentions of anyone else tonight alright? And I’ll promise not to run out on you.”

He thought about your request quickly before responding, “That seems fair.”

And with his final response you turned to grab your cell phone from the table near the door, slipped it into your pocket, and then returned to Hoseok’s side, where he once again took your hand in his and began to lead you in the direction of where he wanted to take you.

As he steered you in the direction of your destination, you realized that the few times on this trip where you had felt comfort and reassured, all originated when your body was in close contact with him. 

You knew Hoseok had fallen to pieces many times before, and now he was in a state of rearranging himself to suit his needs, and not even your sensible and constantly overworked mind could deny the fact of how badly you wanted to be a part of that list.

~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ah so sorry for the extremely late update!! hope you like this part though :)


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